Without Sin
by RedHerald
Summary: Unlucky. That was the word most apt to describe Lincoln's life. Out of all his family only his dream didn't look like it was going to be fulfilled. Out of all his family, he was forced to take in Lisa. So should he really been surprised that he got transported to a world where he has sex with his sisters when he agreed to help Lisa? Well yes. But not that much given his luck.
1. Unwelcome Guest

Lincoln frowned at the page he just got done with was pushing it close for his deadline again. He wasn't usually a slacker(despite what some of his sisters said), but lately, he hadn't been at the top of his game. Lincoln still loved his job even though it was grueling. His fingers and back often screamed at him to stop due to the pain, and He, unfortunately, listened to them and pushed off his duties. Lincoln wanted to get in the comic book industry since he was a kid and was thankful he could be apart of the process even if it wasn't as glamorous as he pictured. He thought he'd be the next Bill Buck. That by the time the white-haired man was 25 years old. Unfortunately, the plan is taking a bit longer to complete than he thought it would-if it would ever be completed. He was four years past that self-imposed deadline already. He was sure after getting his Arts degree, he would be able to strike it big in the industry; it was all part of the plan.

Lincoln's sisters managed to land an enormous amount of success long before they were his age.

Lori became a pro-golfer. Luna landed a platinum record deal. Lynn got into the WMMA, Leni was a world-renowned fashion designer. Luane managed to get the lead role into a Sitcom on Fox that was going onto fourth season and just landed a big movie deal.

Even his younger sisters, with the exception of perhaps Lisa-was doing better than him. Lola was a super-model who managed to get hitched to a millionaire, Lana became a race car driver, and Lucy's Gothic YA books are massively popular.

It felt like everyone in his family was a winner. So logic should dictate he'd be one t too, right? It was only fair. Even Lisa had her time at success before she went crazy.

Lincoln didn't yet catch his big break.

The Webcomic series he had put out garnered some interest, but not nearly as much as he initially hoped.

And although he's managed to make himself known as a reliable freelancer, he doesn't see him moving beyond that anytime soon.

The pay for someone like him was a little better than minimum wage. He had often drawn commissions for people to help get some extra cash when he was living in his apartment.

The workload was heavy, and the people who gave him his checks allowed him no excuses; if one missed a deadline, they could quickly lose any credence to the reputations they've built up.

The one perk he could say he had in his job in his pajamas because he worked from home.

Lately, he's been slipping. The last time he barely made his deadline,

But this month he pledged to get back on track in his defense he'd also been distracted by the antics of a recent house guest.

A guest who, for the past five minutes, has caused the House to almost rumble with noise.

How was a man to do work when that is going around him? With a mighty sigh, he left his office, realizing the noise wouldn't let up made his way towards the basement. On his way, he saw Clyde in the living room with his arm around Susan-a tall blonde woman who Clyde had been dating for a couple of months.

Puberty had been as kind as Mother Theresa to Clyde. The man was Tall, dark, chiseled features, muscled, and had a deep sexy voice.

"It's alright, baby, just the man's sister having a little fun. How about I take you out to a restaurant? Does that sound good, my sweet little muffin?" Clyde said

The blonde woman put a hand to her head and sighed. "Well, that does sound good."

Clyde smiled and kissed her on the head. "That's my girl, could you just wait outside for me? I just have to talk with my main man here."

The woman smiled and went out the door.

"You really need to talk to Lisa. She's scaring my sweet bunny, and not to mention me with this stuff." Clyde said once the blonde beauty was outside. "She won't blow up the house, will she?" Clyde asked with no small hint of nervousness.

Lincoln rolled his eyes. "Probably not."

His friend balked at this. "Probably not, it is definitely not good enough. I'm paying good money to be here, Lincoln. I deserve to be able to get my groove on without having to stop because of Lisa's nonsense. Also, there's the wanting to live thing." Clyde was an excellent tenet. Always paid rent(which was admittedly cheap) on time, and even made dinner most nights. The man had moved back to Royal woods about three years ago. Clyde was pursuing a doctorate online, and he needed a place to live. He could have moved back in with his dads, but he also wanted a degree of independence. Lincoln was renting out space in the House to help pay the bills. There were a couple others he rented out space to. They all left when Lisa came over. Clyde was the only one who stayed.

"Don't you think you're exaggerating just a little?" Lincoln asked, "I mean sure Lisa's experiments have always been loud, but she's never seriously hurt anyone."

Clyde raised an eyebrow. "Well, she's never seriously hurt someone and not fix them."

"Hell, you've been here over plenty of times when she used to live here. I thought you'd got used to her shenanigans."

"I was used to it when it was just a little girl's shenanigans, not a felon's." Clyde pointed out.

"You're still hung up about that? I mean, which one hasn't committed a major crime or two." Lincoln said this in jest.

Clyde's face showed he was not amused.

Lincoln sighed. "Listen, I'll handle it, just be cool."

Clyde shook his head. "That's the same thing you said last time."

"This time, I mean it."

"You said that last time too!"

Lincoln shrugged his shoulders. "That's fair enough."

His friend rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"Listen, you're doing a good thing by your letting Lisa bunk down here, but you need to enforce the ground-rules you set."

Lincoln grimaced at the statement. Lincoln had told Lisa to cut down on any experiments that could cause a lot of noise when he was close to the deadline, and he told her exactly what that deadline was.

Clyde held up a finger. "Doctor Lopez, says being generous does not necessitate being exploited."

"I'll talk to Lisa. I'll put my foot down this time."

He held out a fist. "Clincoln Mcloud?"

Clyde sighed but bumped him. "Clincoln Mcloud."

Upon entering the basement, he was greeted to his little sister, hunched down tinkering with a part over a big metal circle. A small bed and drawer were set up in the right corner, and a large computer Lincoln knew Lisa built was on the left. How she able to get the materials even to make these things Lincoln did not know. She did not acknowledge his presence.

"Lisa, could you chill it with the noise? I'm trying to do work." Lincoln asked.

The small woman continued on tinkering. "I'm sorry elder brother, but I am on the cusp of_."

"Doing something that would be the most important thing ever to humanity, and I can't possibly understand your genius and blah, blah, blah scientific mumbo jumbo I can't understand, blah." Lincoln said, "Is that about the jest of what you were going to say?"

The small woman shrugged. "Well, you may have gotten the core substance of what I was going to say down, but when you put it like that, it sounds slightly pretentious." Lisa pouted. "But yes, this really can't wait for Lincoln." with that, she continued on working on whatever contraception she had become fixated on for the week.

The white-haired man groaned. He really wished he had pushed one of his more well off sisters-which basically was everyone except Lily, who was still in college-to take in their science-obsessed sister. But no, they all said he should take her in; Lori, Leni, and Luna pointed out they had kids to worry about and that they feared Lisa would experiment on their kids when they weren' looking; Well Lincoln had a Clyde to worry about. Lola said Lisa freaked her husband out. Lana worried about Lisa would do to her many Lizards, and Lucy lived in Denmark.

They also guilt-tripped him, with the fact his House was all of their's before Mom and dad gave it to him no longer needing it given they were moving to a smaller abode out of state, was it his fault for being their favorite, or at the very least the one they most pitied given most of his sisters were way rich enough to buy their houses while he was and poorer than dirt?

Lincoln didn't think so.

Lincoln's parents agreed with his sisters on this. They said Lisa could benefit from coming home that the old House may be the most comfortable transition for her.

So with everyone pressuring him to do so, Lincoln took in Lisa after she was released from prison for doing some experiments that involved cloning. That is, it of itself wouldn't have been too controversial except for the fact the people being cloned weren't exactly willingly participants.

She wasn't sent away forever because the government was interested in what she made; Lisa also had a lot of leverage on important people; so rather than life she got a year in a high-end minimum-security prison(the kind that rich and important people go to not the rapey murdery kind poor people go to). She would serve the rest of her sentence on probation on house arrest. The civil-suits against Lisa took her for most of her money, so she didn't have the funds for her own place.

She's been working non-stop to discover something that could get her back on top. Lincoln had offered one of the upstairs bedrooms to sleep in. She preferred the basement, given the room it provided for her experiments.

"Listen, Lisa, I have something important to do_." Lincoln began

"You mean drawing lines for books meant for children?" Lisa cut him off with a hint of annoyance in her voice

This time it was Lincoln's turn to pout. "When you put it like that, you make it what I do sound meaningless."

This Lisa turned and gave him a look of profound pity. "Oh, elder brother, any accurate description of your chosen career path would do that."

"In any case, I have to get it done," Lincoln said.

Lisa sighed and got up from her crouching position.

"Lincoln, if you truly desire me to cease my ventures for the day, I will."

Lincoln smiled.

"But, I hope you could assist me in the last key faucet of my experiment, at least."

Lincoln balked at this.

"Lisa, I do have work to do; work(that although may not be world-changing) helps put food on the table."

Lisa shifted her eyes down. "I just thought it'd be a splendid throwback to our youth to where you assisted me in my scientific pursuits." she sighed, "We, unfortunately, are not spending the amount of time together I thought we would."

Lincoln's heart wrenched. His little sister was never exactly a social butterfly, but since her release, she was avoided like Leni avoids spiders by most people who weren't her family. He could see her sister being lonely and genuinely wanting to spend time with her big bro. He could also see this as a blatant attempt to manipulate him into being a human gene pig. Maybe it was both.

"What is it? And please just use five words I actually know."

Lisa smiled. "It is a teleportation machine."

Ok, that did sound something that could be a little bit more important than comic books, but only a little.

"So, what would I have to do exactly?" Lincoln relented. He had to learn to stop being such a softy.

The small woman gave a broad smile. "Lincoln, I assure the part you need to take part in won't be extraneous." she pointed to the circle. "It's a simple matter of walking through the circle and appearing across the street from the House. Nothing more. It'll be over in approximately 60 seconds."

"And it's safe?"

"There is a 99.99999% chance that nothing will go wrong," the woman quickly answered.

Lincoln knew he'd probably regret this. But the pleading look in Lisa's eyes for him to help her was too much. He sighed. He really needs to learn just to say no.

"Ok, I'll do it."

Lisa proceeded to press some keys on her computer; suddenly, the circle showed the street across the House.

Lincoln slowly walked to the portal. "Ye that I walk through the shadow of death I shall fear no evil," he said

Lisa laughed. "No need for the histrionics elder brother. The chance of anything going astray is minuscule."

The last thing Lincoln saw before going through the portal was Lisa smiling at him.

* * *

Lincoln woke up feelingly remarkedly well-rested. He stretched out his arms out and let out a yawn.

He looked outside and realized it was starting to get dark out. Great, he wasted an entire day.

Lisa must've somehow dragged him in and put him to bed. She probably got one of the neighbors to fetch him. He didn't know if he should feel thankful or peeved that she didn't call an ambulance. Those things could be expensive, way more expensive than his current budget would allow.

And if he misses his deadline this month, he'd be tempted to blame Lisa.

But ultimately, he knew 'I was helping my criminal sister with her work.' wouldn't garner him much sympathy when he had a job to do.

To make up for it, he'd probably need to pull an all-nighter and work through the day to make his deadline.

The prospect sounded as appealing as going to hell, though going to hell would probably be less painful on his back and fingers.

But the possibility of yelling at his sister for a good minute sounded pleasant

But first work. Lincoln couldn't afford to waste any more time.

He swiftly got out of bed and went to turn on his bedroom lights.

And found the room to be off in some distinct ways.

The room he was in looked like it was his bedroom, but it was different.

Like his room, it had Ace Savvy memorabilia. The posters on his wall were definitely to his liking-Vintage Ace Savvy posters-but a few more than the ones he had. Sure the signs were ones he would love to have, but they weren't his.

There were also mint conditioned Ace Savvy comics and actions figures framed on the wall; from what Lincoln could see, they were scarce issues(the type that collectors like Lincoln would sell their soul for).

But perhaps the most significant indicator that this wasn't his room was the fact a brown-haired woman was sleeping in the bed he just got out of. The woman was turned away from him and appeared to be still sleeping, totally unaware of Lincoln's presence. She wasn't wearing anything. And had her head pressed against a pillow.

Lincoln was not in his room. He was not in his House. Lisa must've somehow transported him to someone else's home.

He was a middle-aged man, in his pajamas, in a stranger's bedroom. A stranger who happens to be a naked woman or girl.

Suddenly his heart started beating rapidly, and he began to sweat.

It took every fiber of his being not to immediately start screaming. This is the type of scenario that could only mean trouble for him. If the person sleeping in the bed wakes up, he may go to jail, or prison, or even die if she starts screaming someone with a gun comes-

Lincoln shook his head. He couldn't panic. Not now.

He was called the man with a plan for a reason, after all. Well, he called himself the man with an idea for a reason.

The plan here was simple; move slowly and steadily like Ace Savvy would if he was found in an enemy's lair. Essentially become a master of stealth.

Then he could throw up and faint from the stress of the situation once he got outside.

Once he got home, there'd be hell to pay. He didn't care if he'd miss his deadline. Lisa needed a tongue lashing.

He put his hand the doorknob and began to make his escape hoping he didn't get shot on the way. He discretely began to turn the knob. His plan would work; all he had to be calm and slow; he believed this until he heard the ringing of an Alarm.

He then decided to yank the door open and run like hell before someone saw him.

This plan proved to be a failure when he immediately saw a young girl who was waiting outside. He then did the only thing he could think of and punched her in the face.

He recognized he was now guilty of breaking and entering as well as assault.

This was even more incentive for him to get out of here as quickly as possible.

"What the heck Dad?" the girl moaned.

The white hared drawer was instinctively about to apologize to the person he ran into before he heard the woman who was just sleeping get out of bed. He would give a couple bucks to a charity to make up for his actions.

He ran, and he managed to make it living room he realized something; this was his House. It had to be since this was literally his living room. He was so confused.

"Stinkoln!" Lincoln froze. Only one person called him 'Stinkoln.'

He turned his head and saw said person rushing at him stark naked

"Lynn?" was all he was able to say before his older sister grabbed him by his neck and pushed him against a wall.

This wasn't the first time he's been choked by naked woman-he once had a girlfriend that liked to get rough during sex. Though those encounters were a lot less painful and awkward than what was Lynn doing to him.

"You put your hands on my girl," she growled. Lincoln could not think of a time where the woman sounded angrier.

Lincoln assumed Lacy that was the person he had punched.

He did feel bad about that. But what guilt he had for that act was overshadowed by the pain of being choked by Lynn.

"Lynn...can't...breath." Lincoln managed to croak out to his sister.

His sister, although being a small woman, was immensely strong.

"Mom, you're going to hurt him." a small girl with a bloody nose who looked remarkedly like Lynn yelled at her.

If things couldn't get weirder, even more kids started to appear at the stairs case. Many girls who looked like his sisters, along with two young boys, one of the girls who looked exactly like a teenage Luna, shielded the boys' eyes presumably to protect hem from the graphic display. One of the girls had white hair like his.

The Luna-look alike interceded was the first his behalf. But in a way, that was really odd.

"Aunt Lynn, if you're angry with Dad, there must be a more rational way to express your anger. Also, please, for the love of God, put some clothes on!"

This prompted other kids to call out Lynn to stop.

Except for that one white-haired girl who yelled at Lynn to finish him. Lincoln did not like that girl.

Lynn didn't let go for a few more seconds before relaxing her grip on her little brother.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" She asked, fury still laced in her tone.

"I was helping Lisa with an experiment, and I woke up here, and-and I just really don't know what's going on." Lincoln rushed out, hoping that he was making even an ounce of sense.

Lynn's gaze softened slightly.

"I keep telling you to stop humoring the runt." she sighed in frustration, finally letting him go. Much to the relief of everyone but the white-haired girl who pouted.

"Why are you in my house?" Lincoln was trying to make sense of what was going on. He pointed one hand to the girl with the bloody nose and the other to the kids who came at the sound of the commotion. "Who the hell are these kids? Why are they calling me, dad? Why are you naked?"

Lynn and the children looked at him as if he had gone crazy.

Maybe he did.

"Jesus Christ, what the hell did four-eyes do to you," she asked him all traces of anger had drained from her face. She looked scared. Almost as scared as he felt.

"Mom, is Dad going to be ok?" the girl who Lincoln presumed to be Lacy asked. Did she just call him dad?

Lynn turned to the girl. "Yeah, your dad's going to fine. I'll take him to Lisa_."

"Why are these kids calling me dad?" Lincoln asked.

Lynn got a concerned look on her face. "They're your kids." she said softly.

"I don't have kids. I mean, I just can't. I've always used a condom." he pointed to the girl who looked like Luna.

"And some of these kids are too old even to be my kids. Anyone could see that!" he then pointed to Lacy

"And she just called you mom."

" Lacy's my kid too"

"B-but that doesn't make any sense." he put his hands to his head and groaned.

Without warning, Lynn kissed him on the mouth.

He was stunned. He didn't do anything for a moment. Then upon realizing what was happening to him, he jerked back.

"What the fuck Lynn?" Lincoln shouted.

Lynn shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know I thought it'd jog your memory. I saw it in a dumb movie once where someone's true love kissing them brought back their memories."

"Wouldn't that only work if it was my mother?" a girl with pig-tails asked.

Lynn suddenly scowled at him. "You better not start remembering shit if one of them kisses you."

Lincoln was so confused.

"One of who?" he asked.

"One of our sisters," she said in frustration.

Lincoln's mind gave up trying to rationalize anything. He fainted, the last thing he heard was that Lacy girl shouting "Dad!"

* * *

"This is not Lincoln." Lisa declared.

Lynn just stared at her sister. "Yeah, it is. Unless Lincoln has some evil secret twin, I don't see who the hell that could be, but the biggest dork I know." she grabbed the collar of her sister's sister and brought her close to her face. Lynn pointed to their white-haired brother, who was splayed out on a table in Lisa's laboratory being gently patted by something that looked like a baby. Lynn in contrast to the rest of her sisters told Lincoln to stay away from Lisa after she got out of prison a year ago after being found to have literally dabbled in making some new form of chemical weapons. Lisa was dangerous. And she made that little abomination she called Lulu. Where Lynn's and her sisters' children were products of love Lisa's thing was a product of Lisa's curiosity-the thing was made created in a test-tube, and nobody, including Lincoln, knew anything about it until she came to him before her imprisonment to offload it on Lincoln. The nerd had even brought manuals for him to read in how to deal with the monster.

Lincoln took in Lulu and treated the thing with total adoration. Rather than being disgusted with the thing's bizarre abilities, he was enamored with them-he often remarked to his sisters that he felt he was raising some great superhero. The thing was on the table with the only man Lynn loved. If Lynn didn't know what type of monster Lulu was, Lynn would almost think the thing was concerned for Lincoln; but Lynn knew better, that thing wasn't human. If one wanted to piss themselves quickly, all they had to do was take that dumb pacifier from it's mouth.

Lincoln took Lisa in too after her release; the small woman was the only sister who had actually lived with their brother full time and had set up a lab and room in the House's basement. The rest of them lived in their own apartments and took turns visiting the House; there was simply no room for all of them to live in the house comfortably. The kids lived with their father. It was decided years ago that the kids should be together.

Lynn considered waking Lincoln up, but he was acting so erratically she thought, bringing him unconscious to Lisa would be less difficult. She told Lyra to help get Lacy cleaned up and keep the younger kids and Loan calm.

She had never seen Lincoln so panicked.

So frightened of Lynn, or of his own children.

The fact that he was actually hurt Lacy in any way was still hard to believe.

A couple hours later, the white-haired man still hadn't woken up as their genius sister did tests on him to see what was wrong.

Instead of a real answer on what was wrong with Lincoln, Lynn was being made fun of by Lisa.

"If you don't fix his head, I'll break yours." Lynn hissed.

Lisa did not show a whiff of fear at Lynn's threat.

Lulu watching the exchange, let out a growl that sounded more like a savage beast than a small baby. Lynn knew the thing would not hesitate to attack her on Lisa's behalf. Lynn couldn't care less.

"You needn't offer threats, dear sister. My adoration of our brother is to the same level of intensity as you. I desire to see him well just as much as you." Lynn severly doubted that. Yet did not interupt as Lisa continued. "Though I do apologize for my particular wording. The man you are looking at is Lincoln Loud, but he, not our dear brother and lover."

Lisa yanked her body from Lynn grasp and walked over to the white-haired man, her monster literally jumped over its creator's head and latched on Lisa's back.

"I have not done any experiment involving Lincoln since Lulu. I've tested him for drugs, neurological damage, and anything else that could explain his sudden loss of memory. I came up with nothing. When none of these tests came up with anything substantively wrong with the man, I did them all again. I was stumped. I became frustrated at my seeming inability to help the man I loved. Until I noticed something. Something fairly obvious in hindsight."

She lifted up their brother's hand and turned his palm toward's Lynn

"Notice anything missing?"

Lynn's simply shrugged her shoulders, not seeing the point.

Lisa sighed and pinched her nose. "His pencil scar is missing."

Oh.

Now Lynn remembered. Lincoln had once got stabbed himself in hand by a pencil in college off of some drunken bet. It left a permanent black mark. He once was bragged about it to Lynn as if it made him look badass. Lynn remembered laughing her ass off about it.

Lisa continued, "Such scarring is permanent. They do not simply disappear. Then I tested Lincoln for other possible unexplainable discrepancies. Given that I gave him a physical and dentist checkup approximately seven days ago, I should be able to gleam such."

Lisa turned her head to Lincoln. "This Lincoln has two cavities. The Lincoln I saw last week had none. This Lincoln, with all variables accounted for, is seven pounds heavier than the Lincoln I saw last week. There are Other things simply could not have changed that much during these last couple of days. I ran a quick DNA test to see if this was indeed was the same person as our brother. Genetically speaking, he is. But then I tested his cosmic signature-the signature each living thing in this universe has-and found him to have a different signature from the Lincoln we've grown so fond of."

Lisa pointed to the white-haired man. "This Lincoln is from another universe."

* * *

**_A/N_**

**_Minor edit: Meant to say WMMA rather than NBA_**

**_Minor edit in regards to Lana's proffesion. _**


	2. Strange Familiarity

**Discretion-Assured beta-read this. I pity the the man given what he had to work with. **

* * *

Lisa Loud believed in what was known as the multi-verse theory. Its general premise may seem outlandish to many, but it did explain some anomalies present in the Universe. The woman had been studying how to transverse and prove it's existence for a couple of years. Lisa realized if someone could discover solid proof for the idea, they'd have made the most significant discovery in humanity's history and something that could have her no longer seen as a pariah by the scientific community and a threat to the public in general. Admittedly, her decision to work with certain in regards to their...curiousty in how to make chemical weapons in hindsight wasn't the wisest choice.

The scientist's side of her recognized she had through pure happenstance stumbled upon such proof.

The genius just wished she could enjoy this fact.

Lisa frowned as she looked down at the Lincoln, who had taken the place of the man she loved.

The woman had managed to convince her family to let her awake this Lincoln alone. Her Rationale was rather simple. This new Lincoln knew who she was the very least a version of her. He also seemed to have had a cordial enough relationship with her universal counterpart to assist with her experiments. It was impossible to know the exact relationship Lincoln had with the rest of his family. He seemed to recognize Lynn, but given It's entirely possible this new Lincoln hated most of his sisters, or that he and Lynn were his only sisters, whatever the case, seeing all of them at once could be overwhelming, Lisa told her sisters that. Lisa did not tell them. She also thought it'd be more convenient for her to question the man without her sisters yammering.

Lisa would not have called the rest of her sisters before giving a firmer grasp of the situation. Lynn did not share her sisters' sentiments. The brown-haired woman had called their sisters, who immediately rushed over-some like Leni, Luanne, Luna, and the newly pregnant Lily expressed worry over their brother. Luanne also made a bad joke. Lisa suspected the middle-school teacher was more trying to calm her nerves rather than eliciting laughter.

While others like Lana and Lola, although also expressing worry, also sprinkled in some threats in what they'd to her if Lisa didn't get Lincoln back. Lana threatened to beat Lisa with a hammer. Lana as a carpenter, often involved the use of her tools in her threats, and if Lisa normal woman, she'd be intimidated given Lana's massive bulk. Lola threatened to flat-out murder Lisa and a rather descriptive matter. Lola was a sex-worker; she was also one of the more territorial of their brother. The woman bestowed upon him far more expensive gifts than their lover could hope to afford with his job as the Burphin Burger manager.

Lisa had told her sisters the same thing she had told Lynn when they asked if she could get their brother back.

Lisa didn't know.

The genius had studied ways to traverse the multi-verse, but she hadn't found the key as to how. It could be days, weeks, or even years until she could find a way to bring back their brother. Her answer panicked many of her sisters. Lily, Luna, Luanne, Luna began pleading for her to say that she could solve this problem.

Lola, Lana, and Lynn offered more threats. Lucy seemed to become a shade paler. Lori just asked if Lisa was literally serious. Leni, not fully grasping the situation, asked Lisa to explain everything once more.

The genius repeated her proclamation.

She did not believe in any giving anyone false hope.

Seeing some of her sisters cry made Lisa thankful Lynn had enough sense to keep the other children in the dark in regards to their missing father. Lyra did not know the circumstance of her apparent father's strange conduct nor her aunts' arrival. Still, the teenager nonetheless said she'd keep her siblings quarantined upstairs until the adults could figure what to do. The teenager typically followed the orders from her elders to the letter. Lisa thought the girl's apparent interest in joining the army appropriate.

They all wanted to be there to wake this new Lincoln up. Lucy said she might be able to communicate with the spirits to see where the man held. A silly proposition. Lisa was surprised that a librarian such as Lucy could be surrounded by so much knowledge daily and still place much faith in the supernatural. Lynn was the most reluctant to let Lisa be the one to deal with the new Lincoln. The gym teacher still irrationally thought her younger sister was at fault. But Lori agreed with her logic and bid her other sisters allow Lisa to be the one to wake the new Lincoln. The woman had become a sort of a matriarch of sorts to the Loud family.

They would handle breaking the news to their children. Lisa was about to awaken when she heard the patter of small footsteps.

Lisa's eyes drifted to the source of the noise. "Lulu, what are you doing out of doing out of your containment unit?" Lisa asked the babe as she waddled over.

Lulu distinctly remembered putting the girl away securely. The girl manifesting a new ability that would surpass the security measures for her would usually be cause for celebrating, but today it seemed to be an inconvenience.

The one-year-old girl took out her pacifier, revealing tiny line marks over her mouth and used her chubby little arm to point to the unconsciousness Lincoln. "Dada."

Ah. Lisa's small creation still thought that Lincoln was her father. She tried to explain to the girl that the white-haired man who looks like her father was not her father. Something most one-year-olds wouldn't pick up, but although Lulu had the intelligence that exceeded her actual age. She should have grasped some of what her mother had said. Lisa suspected the new Lincoln's scent being an exact match confused the little tot.

Lisa sighed. Lulu loved her father. The man had been the one to primarily raise Lulu during Lisa's confinement and showed the girl adoration. Lisa hoped this new Lincoln would not react too negatively to the little girl. An apparent rejection would break Lulu's heart if she had one.

Lulu held out her arms and whistled. The girl launched herself in her mother's arms. The small woman began walking towards Lulu's titanium box.

"I'm going to need to discuss your father's universal counterpart alone. Please do not feel undervalued, little one you are perfect, but your presence may be disruptive here."

She kissed her daughter on the forehead before locking her away.

The genius looked back to the white-haired man.

He looked so peaceful. Graceful.

When she held the smelling salts under his nose, the new Lincoln looked profoundly less graceful.

Lincoln's eyelids opened with more speed than a particle accelerator, and he sat up with a mighty groan.

"Gah Ace Savvy's fucking cock, what the fuck!?" despite the direness of the situation, she could not help but roll her eyes. Her lover's universal counterpart seemed to have adopted his whimsical habit of using his favorite comic-book character in his expletives. It was unusual, but Lisa found it strangely endearing.

The new Lincoln looked towards her. Lisa knew the man was not, in fact, her beloved. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, she felt saddened that the man looked at her with frustration. Her beloved rarely got mad at her-even when he had just cause to be so.

Her lover's universal counterpart got up from his seat and walked towards her. "Lisa, you told me nothing could go wrong. I had this crazy dream where...I was doing something really weird, and it felt so real, and jus-just how long have_?"

"The event you experienced three hours ago was not a dream. You did not hallucinate. I assure you everything you experienced was real. You did wake up beside an undressed Lynn Loud. You did strike an adolescent. Someone you percieved to be your sister did kiss you while still completely naked. You passed out. All these things happened."

Lincoln just looked at her as if she had sprouted gibberish. It was the same look people often gave her when she tried to impress everybody with her impressive lexicon when she was younger.

"I am not the Lisa Loud, you know." the genius continued. "You are in another universe, one where the Loud family's dynamic I suspect is very different than you are accustomed."

The room was silent after the proclamation.

Lincoln's first response was to laugh as if Lisa had made some humorous quip. "Ok, you almost got me. How did you know all about that?" As she opened her mouth to respond, the man held up his hand to stop her. "You know what doesn't need to know." The man was in denial, and Lisa knew the trick to bring him out of the thing.

As he began to leave, Lisa took out her remote and turned on her computer monitor. The screens showed the events that transpired a couple of hours ago and stopped Lincoln like a driver might suddenly stop at red-light he saw at the last second-awkwardly and with a jerk. The white-haired move to the computer screen watched the events play out. His face reminded Lisa of her beloved's expression he'd have after watching one Lucy's favorite horror movies with the gothic woman. At the part where Lynn kissed him, he looked physically ill. Lisa quickly handed the man a wastebasket, and Lincoln vomited into it immediately.

"I trust you believe my earlier proclamation?" Lisa inquired as Lincoln released his stomach of its contents.

Still, heaving Lincoln pointed to the naked Lynn on screen.

"She said we had a daughter," Lincoln said out as if that fundamentally disproved anything Lisa just said or what she had only shown him.

"Some of those girls are in their teens! That doesn't make sense, right?" Lincoln seemed to plead for her to agree the paradigm was illogical. She could see how it may be so from his point of view. It was indeed extraordinarily rare each of her siblings, and her siblings would engage in the taboo of incest as well be able to produce healthy children. But somehow, it began to make perfect sense to Lisa. Lisa would not exchange her current familial dynamic for the celestial sphere known as earth

"Yes. In this Universe, your counterpart is engaged in a fully consenting, polyamorous, open relationship with Lynn myself, and other women who are his biological sisters. This process started when your counterpart was eleven. He's sired 12 children with us so far." she explained calmly.

Lincoln started shaking. "I was molested?" He asked, his mind still being jumbled from the shock.

"I do not know if you were-if, so you have my deepest sympathies, of course-but me, my brother and sisters have never violated each other in such a heinous way."

He looked at her as she was insane.

"When did you and he?"

"I was 12-years old when he and I began a romantic relationship, but it was only until I reached the age of 14-years old did our relationship turn sexual," Lisa revealed with not a hint of shame.

Lisa always wondered what drew Her beloved to her at that time. She was short, she lacked the voluptuous features of her sisters and had acne which Lana would love. Her beloved said she was beautiful. He was too good a man for thought her partner's love was the truly beautiful thing.

Lincoln had a different view.

"That's sick, I-I_." Lincoln, rather than finishing his sentence, filled the basket even more. Lisa did not find his reaction entirely unwarranted or unexpected.

After he finished, Lisa started her questions. "Now, could you please tell me the exact initial events that proceeded your arrival here."

Lincoln did not answer her. Instead, he proceeded to pace around the room like a wild animal that's suddenly found itself in a cage. "Why can't I say no?" the man groaned. "I should have stood my ground and told them to fuck off."

He laughed. It was not the adorable laugh from earlier. It was ugly. Unhinged. It reminded Lisa of one of her patients when she gave him a terminal diagnosis.

Lincoln's voice got higher and mocking. "But no Lincoln you have to take in the goddamn freak of the family in you don't have a reputation at stake, you don't have life, it's for the best for everyone. Lincoln, you have to help me because everyone else has the goddamn common sense to stay away from me!. Nothing will go wrong except..for you'll end up in a world where you and your sisters are a bunch of pedophiles and rapists."

"Again, my and my sisters' relationship with our brother is nothing but consensual." she pointed out.

The man ignored her as he continued on his rant on the injustice of his present situation.

It appeared this new Lincoln's Lisa had her legal troubles, which necessitated her to seek sanctuary with her brother. Though it seems,' Her beloved's universal counterpart merely took in his sister because everyone in his family pressed him to and not out of pure sense love for his second youngest sister. Lisa felt a smidgen of pity towards the woman. Her counterpart's Lincoln seemed to be inferior to Lisa's love in most ways physically, but also in terms of compassion.

Lisa knew this man was not her beloved. He was a stranger. The logical part of her knew she should not take offense.

It did not stop the words from hurting her. The Lincoln she was with was not her beloved true. But he had her beloved's voice and face. Lisa had grown to believe she'd never hear her beloved call her a freak. She's heard it from the public, hearing it from Lincoln_.

Lisa bit her tongue hard to stop the irrational train of thoughts that threatened to break her impartial facade.

This Lincoln was not her beloved. She could not make Lulu's mistake and think of him as such.

She could not allow her outward demeanor to reflect her emotions. Lisa was a scientist and a doctor, after all. She had to be calm. Reserved.

The small genius allowed the man to rant and rave about the injustice of the situation until he tired himself out.

"Now, will you answer my questions?" Lisa asked.

The comic-book enthusiast explained he was helping his Universe's Lisa with a rudimentary transportation machine.

He was supposed to be moved just across the street from his own house. Lincoln accused her universal-counter parts, having intentionally brought him here. Lisa then asked him if he could remember anything about the machine and what he felt walking through it.

"It was a big metal circle and when I went through. I just woke up in this madhouse. That's all I remember about it." the white-haired man replied curtly. Lisa jotted down the man's words. He had not said anything so far that seemed particularly useful, but it is always pertinent to hold any information one can.

"Is there anyone who would do you harm in your universe?"

"You mean besides my psychopath roomie? No, I just draw comics. I once got a death threat from an overzealous dweeb for my part in one comic, but the person who sent the threat was a 12-year old."

Lincoln's eyes widened, and he slapped his forehead. "The comic! I need to get home to finish my part."

"You'll be able to send me back soon, right?" Lincoln pleaded.

"I could not promise you that," she said coldly. Before the man could respond, she asked him

"What may I ask is your exact relationship with my universal counterpart? Is she a person who'd endeavor to see you home?" Lisa broached, hoping that perhaps her universal counterpart may be able to switch her beloved and the new Lincoln back to their homes if she should fail too.

Lincoln tossed his hands up. "I'm here, aren't I? Pretty clear she must not care about me if she sent me here." Lincoln's hands fell, and the man let out a defeated sigh. "No, if the freak brings me back, she'd only do it for the same reason I'm sure you fuck your brother; to see if she could."

Lisa tried to be understanding to the man's plight. But the accusation of her love for her brother being vapid was unnerving.

How dare he do this to her? She was trying to help the man get home. Her beloved would never do something so cruel to her or anybody.

She took a deep breath before responding to the slander.

"I understand that you've just had rather traumatic experience, but I ask that that you refrain from making ill insinuations about my elder brother's relationship with me."

Lincoln sneered at her in disgust. "Or what frea_." before he could finish, Lisa pressed her left to the man's throat, not hard enough to seriously hurt but enough to cause him discomfort and pushed him to the wall and held him there. In a fit of panic, he struck her. Lisa did not react to his blow. "I suggest you cease your struggle. It would not do much for you." The man stopped. Lisa glared at him and brought his face close enough to where they were almost kissing. "I love my brother. He is a kind, just man, and I will not have our relationship besmirched as something impure by anyone," she growled. Despite being the smallest out of her siblings, Lisa, due to her self-experimentation, was stronger than any human could hope to be. Lincoln's expression that showed revulsion moments earlier had shifted to total fear. The mask of utter terror on his face felt wrong to Lisa. Her Lincoln never feared her. Lisa released her grip, and he dropped on the floor and hurried away from her. The woman took off her glasses and rubbed her nose. "Forgive me, Lincoln; I lost my resolve momentarily. I know you are stressed I-I should not have allowed my emotion getting the best of me."

Lincoln got up. "Yeah sure, I'm sorry for calling you a freak." the man exhaled. "I-I just want to go home. You could send me back, right? Please?"

"I do not know. I wish I could offer you a more reassuring answer. But that would be dishonest. All I can honestly promise you is that I will try to get you home."

"I shouldn't be here." Lincoln moaned.

Lisa nodded. "You should not be here. Nevertheless, you are and may remain here for quite a while."

Lincoln groaned as he had just been delivered a deadly.

"I understand my family's dynamic may seem...strange to you, but by and far, they are decent people."

"Yeah I'm sure they're awesome," Lincoln muttered

Lisa did not acknowledge the petulant remark. " Now, may I introduce you to them?"

Lincoln rubbed his temples. "I really don't want to. You say they're good people, but good people don't do stuff like this."

Lisa was apt to respond. "You will meet them, given you must stay in this house while I try to get you back home."

Lincoln clicked his tongue. "It sounds like I don't have a choice."

"No."

Lincoln drew up his hands. "Then why even ask me?"

Lisa shrugged her shoulders. "It was just a courtesy."

Lincoln sighed. Then got a distressed look. "Are you guys doing anything to the kids?"

Lisa said nothing for a moment. The very idea of what he was implying was simply so horrific that even her mind was trying to find the words to respond.

"Never dare to accuse my sisters or me as something so abhorrent again. Everyone in this house would sooner get lobotomized before lifting a finger to harm the children." Lisa tried to keep her calm. But the man kept misunderstanding her family in the worst ways.

"I'm just asking_."

"That if we are raping our progeny." Lisa finished for him. "You know nothing about our family. Cease trying to pass yourself off as an expert."

Lisa took some deep breaths to calm herself before beginning her trek to Lulu's containment unit. "I'd like to introduce the youngest of our family, and the most strange. My daughter is what may refer to a mutant."

"Like from inbreeding?" Lincoln inquired with a hint of disgust in his voice.

Lisa rolled her eyes. "No, all the children are in more or less perfect health. My Lulu, however, is a product of my love for my brother and science."

Lincoln starred at her. "You know, in my world, you were arrested for kidnapping and trying to clone people."

Lisa hummed at the thought. "That does sound odd — the kidnapping part. The most illegal thing I've endeavored in is work bio-chemical weapons." she then laughed.

Lincoln did not join her. Shame. Her beloved always got her dark and albeit awkward sense of humor.

"You're not convincing me you're a decent person," he said dryly/

Lisa sighed. "I never claimed to be."

She looked down as she spoke to her request. "Please, do not treat her with disdain. She loves her father. By extension of her senses lying to her, she thinks you are my brother. She may be extraordinary, but she's still a little girl."

Lincoln looked suitably uncomfortable at her show of frailty. "I-I mean I'm not that much of a jerk. I don't blame kids for their parent's sins."

Lisa frowned at the insinuation at what she and her family were doing was sinful but did not lambast Lincoln this time.

Lisa pressed in the keys to unlock the unit.

Lulu came waddling out. She looked towards Lincoln and smiled. "Dada."

Lincoln raised his hand. "Um, hey." he glanced towards Lisa, "could she understand me?"

"Yes, she has the wherewithal beyond her initial appearance would suggest."

Lisa gave a shrill whistle prompting her girl to spring into arms and nozzle into her mother's chest. She then turned to him and smiled.

Lincoln slowly approached the mother-daughter pair. He awkwardly patted Lulu on the head like one might do to a strange dog with fleas. The baby purred with pleasure.

Lisa smiled at the sound. "Thank you, Lincoln."

* * *

As Lincoln followed Lisa upstairs, he understood one thing; he was not prepared for any of this. He got stuck in a universe where he built up some weird sex-cult with a more terrifying Lisa than the one he's used to. Lincoln pondered what thing he could have done to deserve this because it seemed so unfair. He was a good guy! The comic-book artist wasn't perfect, but Lincoln was decent enough. Lincoln paid his taxes; he followed the law; he generally leaned a hand to someone who needed a hand if he could.

He needed to get back home. Lincoln pitied the guy he switched places with in terms of what his older sisters did to him, but the guy based on what Lisa told him grew up to be no better.

The thought of the guy running around his Universe was horrifying.

The comic-book artist and the genius arrived at a packed living room. He starred at the mass of children and his sisters' counterparts.

Lynn was dressed in a sports jersey and stood next to Lacy. The girl upon closer inspection did look different in small but noticeable ways. Her hair was paler than her mother's and freckles we're present on his face. If she held any resentment for the earlier debacle, she didn't show it on her face. She smiled at him. But it was the type of smile one would give a rabid dog approaching them.

Lucy wore a black dress, much like his own Lucy, and stood by the girl with white hair.

The girl looked at him with bemusement. Lincoln grew to dislike that girl actively. Didn't she know how serious this situation was? It did not help that she looked the most like him.

Lana wore a dark brown overalls with her sleeves rolled up and an orange cap. Lincoln's little sister grew to be a strong woman physically. But this Lana had arms that appeared much more toned. Lola stood next to her sister, wearing black yoga pants and a pink sweater. Lola's dress was rather basic in comparison to Lincoln's former-beauty queen sister. His sister never wore anything that cost less than $13000.

Two blonde girls stood between their legs. One had a red hat and a dinosaur on her shirt while the other was the pig-tailed girl who enraged Lynn earlier. She had his freckles. The pig-tailed girl had her arm wrapped around her sister. The smaller girl tried to move towards him, but her sister kept her in place and whispered something in her ear. The shorter blonde girl then stared at him in confusion.

Luna wore jeans and a shirt with the smooch insignia. Lincoln's Luna had short hair and shaved on its sides. This Luna had hair that reached to her shoulders.

Next to her stood a girl who looked just like a teenage her if she took a more modest dress and a boy who took up his mother's aesthetic. The girl seemed to fear him given she literaly made a cross with her hand when she saw him. The boy just looked at him, wearily.

Lori was a white blouse and a black business skirt.

Lori watched him like a mother lion would a potential threat to her cub.

Next to her stood a girl who looked exactly like her. The only evidence of her relation to a Lincoln Loud was the shirt that depicted Ace-Savvy trading blows with the Crimson chin.

Luanne stood by a girl who was also her spitting image, though her hair was a slightly lighter shade than her mother.

Lily stood by herself. Lincoln knew that she wasn't his youngest sister, but he still hoped she got back her sense. Lincoln's youngest sister had so much potential, the girl's art could put him to shame any day, and he'd show to see someone like his little sister squander their potential.

A bulky girl that looked like Leni also stood next to a small blonde boy with long hair. Next to them stood Leni wearing a smile that would make the sunshine a little brighter.

Leni, while still smiling, walked up to him and kissed on the mouth.

The women in the room began yelling at her, that he wasn't this Universe's Lincoln, but the woman only glanced at them.

Lincoln gagged and shoved her away from him. The woman stumbled back, she looked to have lost her balance, but her daughter stabilized her.

Leni looked at him in utter confusion. "Lincy?"

"Don't touch me, y-you rapist!" Lincoln shouted. The room got dead silent after that, and then Leni started crying. The bulky girl took her mother in her arms. The boy glared at him as if he were the biggest jerk in the world — the people who looked at his sisters with shock, revulsion, disgust, and horror. Most of the kids held similar reactions except for the white-haired girl and Lana's daughter. The look the white-haired girl gave was analytical. Lana's daughter just looked confused. "What's a rapist?" she asked. The small girl's question provided another jolt to everybody, and even the white-haired girl frowned. "I'll explain it to you later, Lizy. Not now." Lana said.

Lincoln turned his head over to Lisa, who stood behind him.

She was rubbing her nose in frustration. With all the eyes staring at the man, Lincoln felt the need to defend himself. To at the very least, not to feel helpless.

"I mean, I'm not wrong; she had sex with a child." he pointed out. He was not the bad guy here.

"I mean_."

"Lincoln, please be quiet." Lisa cut him off in a tone that held the promise of pain should he continue.

Lincoln sighed in resignation. He should have realized they'd be as deluded as Lisa had been. He had to say sorry.

"I'm sorry for pushing you." He wasn't. "You just surprised me," he spoke to Leni. "Why would you say such a totes mean a thing, Lincy?" Because it was true. The woman raped her brother, and if he didn't need Lisa to get home, he'd call the police on her and her sisters for what they did.

He wanted so desperately to say all of what was on his mind. Instead, he restrained himself. "I'm sorry if you were offended." the truth could be very offensive. The woman may have had his sister's face. She may be able to cry like her too. But she was not his Leni. Lincoln would not forget the fact he was dealing with a group of sexual predators. He'd call the police if he saw the children were being abused... Lincoln was not a great man. But he wasn't so low as to sacrifice children to save his freckled ass.

Leni then smiled at him again and took a step towards him. He took a step back this time.

Leni's daughter put a hand on her mother's shoulder. "Mom, he's not Dad. He's from another universe," she explained.

Leni pointed to him. "But he looks so much like Lincy," Leni said, not seeing the problem. Her sisters and their daughters tried explaining what was going on, but it didn't appear to be getting through. Lincoln was not surprised. His Leni could be dense at times. The woman wasn't stupid, but it could be harder to see certain things like most people. She needed things explained to her in ways that conformed to something she already understood.

"Leni, I'm not your Lincoln. He and I are like a dress_."

Lincoln realized this Leni was not his sister, so he may not have her interest in fashion.

"You sell and make and make dresses, right?" the tall blonde woman nodded cheerfully. "Yep."

"Ok he-the Lincoln, you know-and I am like the type of dresses you'd make for a particular client_."

Leni cut him off this time. "Oh no, I don't make the dresses I sell. I make dresses for family and friends. I think someone makes the clothes I sell at the mall.

Lincoln nodded and pressed on. "Ok, well, you know the clothes you sell at the mall? How could two shirts be designed the same, but be different?" Leni nodded. "That's me. I'm a different dress than the one you're used to." Lincoln would have felt utterly ridiculous having said that if the situation he was in wasn't suitably bizarre.

Leni's eyes widened. "You're not my Lincy."

Lincoln nodded. "So, he's not back?" Again Lincoln nodded. A sad Leni was always a tragic sight to see. Her daughter held her. If looks could kill the face, the blonde boy was giving Lincoln would entail a painful death.

Lisa gave a fake cough to get everyone's attention on her. "I believe it necessary to discuss the living situation; we are compelled to endure."

Every one of her sisters nodded. Lori was the first one to speak. "I literally assume that he'll stay in the house?"

"Yes, that would be the appropriate situation."

Lynn took offense towards the idea. "The fucker punched Lacy."

"Language Aunt Lynn." the luna look-alike hissed covering her brother's ears. The boy looked annoyed.

Lincoln held up a hand. "In my defense, I thought I was breaking into someone else's house."

Lynn looked at him as if he sprouted devil-horns and started hissing. "So you beat a little girl to save your ass? What type of man are you? Our Lincoln would never do that."

"A man who would not like to end up in prison mostly," Lincoln responded. He turned his gaze to Lacy. "Sorry about that, kid. Didn't mean to hurt you."

"He does seem to be dangerous dudes." Luna piped in. A pedophile was calling him dangerous — what a world.

Lisa interceded on his behalf. "The man, as far as I could tell, pose no significant threat to the house's youth."

"Lisa, for once in your life pretend to be human, the guy gave your niece a bloody nose!" she growled, crunching her hands into fists.

"In a fit of panic. The action was done only under extreme duress. I asses that the man should be allowed to be around the house. Separating the children from their home, and each other should not be done unnecessarily."

"I don't want to leave Leia." cried the second youngest girl. Her big sister pressed the small girl closer to her body. "I would not feel comfortable with that either." she turned her head to look at her mother. "She needs me, mother."

"Just like Lupa and Liby need me!" Lacy proclaimed with her mother's type of enthusiasm. The white-haired girl shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, sis. Without you, I'm practically a helpless tot." Lacy pointed to her sister. "You heard Lupa."

On and on, the children raised complaints and arguments for why they need to stay in the Loud house.

"Ok, the objection is withdrawn. Jesus forgive me for being a little cautious." Lynn said.

"Quite. Now First and foremost, it is probably best for the children to introduce themselves." Lisa said.

The kids introduced themselves, and he wasn't pleased to discover they had continued the L-name tradition. It was super corny even when his parents gave all their kids L-names. If he had a shred of respect for these women, it would be gone.

"Now, I imagine Linoln_."

"You'll get him back, right?" Leni interjected.

Lincoln already knew Lisa's answer before she opened her mouth.

It did not help take the sting out when she said she still didn't know.

"He should take up Lincoln's job right." Lola offered to the group. "If he doesn't, Lincoln will lose it."

This was met with general agreement from the group of women.

Lisa gave her sister an analytical look before responding. "That would seem prudent. Lincoln, would you be willing to substitute for our brother in terms of his career?"

Lincoln did not know why she'd ask. She'd make him do it anyway. "Sure, I 'll draw his parts in comic books." he relented.

Lola scoffed rather loudly. "My Lincy happens to hold the managerial position of one of the frequently attended restaurants in Royal Woods." she proclaimed smugly.

Lana and her sisters rolled their eyes. "The guy works at the Burping Burger. Can't lie it's a little too clean since he became manager of it ." Lana revealed.

Ok, a mediocre job in a fast food place seemed right up his alley though he didn't enjoy the prospect of wearing a uniform.

"Would you like to offer any rules, Lincoln?" Lori prodded.

"I don't want to be called dad Lincoln blurted out reflexively.

Everyone nodded at that.

"I also don't want to do anything inappropriate while I'm here with any of you. You know in terms of of...family relations."

Luanne responded this time. "Well, if you are incest." everyone but the youngest kids and Liby groaned at the pun.

Lilly stepped in. "Jokes aside, we would never force anyone to do anything they're uncomfortable with."

Lincoln knew this Lilly wasn't his sweet baby sister. It still hurt seeing her regurgitate her older siblings nonsense.

Lincoln sighed. If he had the world, he'd trade it to get away from these people.

* * *

**A/N Why are reading this the chapter is over?**

**So was that a good suspensful chapter? Meh. I find the prospect of the adults having an aversion to sleeping with the kids interesting. A very superficial diffrence but seemingly one that is looked at as giganticly important to some. When charachters in a story express such a rule I view it as trying to give reason for why they're not total moral degenerates. Me personally, I see no diffrence. It's all evil. With regards to the relations between an adult/almost adult and a child. In regards to incest? Meh. My stance is that any sex with between people who are able to consent and do consent is not worth ridicule. If a woman sucks and fucks a thousand cocks from guys who wanted it, I will not chastize her for it. At least more than the guys. If the same woman bangs her fully adult sister, I also don't care.**

**Edits: Lana was supposed to wear overalls not a unitard**


	3. A Day of Sin

First** I must give context to this chapter: it delves into what the day of Sin kids Lincoln the day before the swap. Discretion assured beta-read this trash. Doctorynot you gave rather thorough analysis of the last chapter; the type of breakdown appreciate more of. To your grievance of the non-Sin kid Lincoln not looking that much like his 11-year old self I have a question: how similiar are you to your 12-year old self?**

* * *

_The day before the swap_

Lincoln smiled down at the girl who he was hoping would someday be the world's first and, for that matter, best real-life superhero.

"Say ah for dada Lulu," he told the girl. The girl did go 'ah,' but she also stretched out her mouth in an elongated way. The best comparison Lincoln could think of is the predator. Only Lynn and Lacy showed an ounce of disgust at the display. Lincoln's smile became slightly more strained, having noticed his older sister's and sport's obsessed daughters' reaction. Lincoln tried to be empathetic towards Lynn, knowing his Lulu was odd, but his sport's obsessed sister never warmed up to the baby. She managed even to get Lacy to see her youngest sister in a negative light, which hurt him, especially. The entire point of bringing the kids to live with him was because of the family's recognition that siblings should be together. He tried reasoning with the woman, but every time the subject was broached, they'd end up near screaming at each other, Lynn would call Lulu a freak, and in response, he'd call Lynn one of the woman he loved, a heartless bigoted bitch. They'd be chafed at each other for a couple of days before making up. Lincoln tried getting Lynn to hold the girl once hoping that Lynn would see that Lulu, despite her peculiarities, was just bundle of love and joy. Lynn reacted like he was trying to hand her a disease-infested animal.

They finally agreed to leave well enough alone for the sake of civility. Lulu was apart of the household, and a part of Lincoln's heart. Lynn did not have to like this;but she had to tolerate it if she wanted to be apart of her brother's life. Lincoln thought the woman recognized if it came down between her and Lincoln's daughter, his sister would lose. He loved Lynn, and although it pained his heart to know she thought ill of his youngest daughter, he knew he could not force her to enjoy the little scamp. He also got her to agree to cool it with the anti-Lulu rhetoric around Lacy. Though from Lacy's reaction, Lynn's earlier messages still resonated with the girl.

"Close your mouth a little, Lu." The white-haired man heeded his precious daughter. He didn't mind the sight of her doing something so abnormal anymore, but Lisa said it was best to make Lulu kick such habits, which showed how awesome she was retroactive. Lisa feared how a lot of people would react if Lulu did something like that in public. It's Lulu since she'd brought over to his care never left the house.

The girl's mouth shrunk to be the size of a typical baby, and Lincoln began feeding the baby her mashed peas.

At first, Lincoln had been a little shaken when Lulu did things like this. Lynn said he screamed more like a little girl than any of his girls ever did. Over time he got used to the sight. Lulu never meant to hurt or scare anyone. It was just a thing she sometimes did.

And it had great potential to entice fear in the hearts of criminal scum. Lincoln was pretty sure if Ace Savvy could do it, he would.

Lincoln knew he would be lying if he said his desire for Lulu to become a superhero wasn't a little selfish.

Lincoln had always wanted to be apart of the comic-book industry. He thought he could have made it too, but the life of a comic-book artist was still risky, and one could barely make a living without dependants. The white-haired man thought he had a real chance at it if he didn't have to worry about his family, but he did. He had to be practical. Being a general manager at the Burping Burger would not make him rich, but it helped pay the bills and kept food on the table. It's schedule also allowed him to have weekends off as well, which he used to spend time with his kids. Some religious oldies ran the restraint-chain. Thankfully not the 'gays and men who dress like women deserve to be hell sort.' Lincoln Loud was no supporter of bigotry in any form. Besides, if he did work for such an anti-LGBT organization, Lyra would kill him. She'd give an uninterrupted prayer for his soul, before doing it but still.

Lincoln still drew sometimes, albeit only as a hobby. Mainly he went back to drawing the type Fan-comics he and his old friend Clyde made as a kid featuring Ace-Savvy and the full house gang. Albeit, the new series featured the kids between Ace-Savvy and the full house gang. The stories were silly, and admittedly the art had always been subpar, but the younger kids seemed to like them.

Though none of them retained much interest in them as they got older, Lincoln was not mad or disappointed with his kids. They were all fantastic, and he was proud to see most of them were as ambitious as he and his sisters were at their age. Even Loan, although she hardly ever left her room, was making good money from playing video-games while on camera. Lincoln never saw the appeal of watching someone else play video-games, but his oldest girl's talents had amassed a small, albeit steadily growing following.

Lincoln hoped his youngest grew to appreciate superheroes and comic-books as he did. That this could be one of the things, he and she could bond over.

It would be so cool if Lulu became a superhero. Though admittedly whatever Lulu grew to be, he'd love her just the same.

After feeding his little hero-in training, Lincoln began eating his food.

His kids continued chatting among themselves, and they engaged in the customary sibling ribbing. The comic-enthusiast knew Lyra would clamp down on it if it got too mean.

He had a busy day planned today. He had promised some of his kids each to do an activity specially tailored to their interests.

Lincoln was so excited.

* * *

"So, how's the painting coming along, bumblebee?" Lincoln asked his favorite white-haired little girl for what felt like the thousandth time.

"Shut up, your whining is breaking my flow, just know it'll be done when it's over," Lupa responded candidly; this was roughly following the other responses Lupa had given to answer to his question. The girl did have an in-depth look of concentration as she munched down on one of her candy cigarettes. Lincoln personally had mixed feelings about his daughter's preference for such sugary treats. On the one hand, he worried slightly it'd encourage Lupa to smoke real cigarettes when she got older. On the other hand, Lucy argued it was fine and pointed out Lupa was smart enough girl to steer away from things that would give her cancer.

Lincoln would freely admit his white-haired daughter was brilliant. Although she pretended to be apathetic towards everything, she typically got straight-As. She hadn't got a grade below a B in years, and the only two loud children who regularly got grades better than Lupa was Leia, who skipped to sixth grade, and Lyra. He also found the brand Lupa bought to be tasty.

Lincoln chuckled at his daughter's brusqueness. Lupa sometimes used him as one of the models in some of her portraits. Today Lupa had him hold one of Lemmy's old toy swords and give his most heroic stance. The two had chosen the outside backyard for the venue, Lupa sat on a stool behind a canvas. Usually, these sessions could take quite a while, but Lincoln didn't mind. The white-haired man enjoyed spending time with his daughter. Drawing had always been a thing the two could bond over. Heck, the first picture Lincoln ever drew was mainly featured him slaying a dragon. He Kept the drawing in his wallet at all times.

"And done. I have to say its' not that bad given what I had to work with." the girl declared.

Lincoln dropped the sword and stretched out his arms. He walked over to his daughter. "Can I see it, Lupa?" he asked as the girl as she held the newly furnished canvas over her head to get a better look.

The white-haired girl tapped her chin while keeping one hand on the art. "Hmm, Nah, don't think so."

Lincoln groaned, but he had a smile on his face. "Lupa, why are you so mean to me?"

Lupa shrugged. "Because it's fun. And because you love it, you sick freak."

Lincoln shrugged in return. "Well, I can't say you're wrong, but_." Lincoln quickly grabbed the piece of art before Lupa could snatch it away.

The comic-book enthusiast laughed. The proportions were farcical. His head, as depicted, was way too big for his body, and the man was fighting a legion of stuffed bears. His stance didn't even look heroic. He was shaking barely, keeping a hold on the weapon.

"Bumblebee, you always know how to depict me as my true inner-self." he brushed his eye to wipe away a nonexistent tear.

Lupa scoffed and grabbed the portrait away from him. "One of these days, I'm going to do something that will utterly wreck your psyche. Something that will you have you wailing with despair. You will rue the day Grandmother and Grandfather coupled to make you." Lupa declared in Lucy's monotone.

"Meh probably." the white-haired-man said before quickly giving his daughter kiss on the forehead. "But I won't love you any less."

Lupa rubbed her head, but Lincoln saw the quirk on the girl's face. "Though, thanks for being my model again, dad. The inmates at the maximum-security prison will love this."

Lupa referred to the Hospital where she showed off her art in as 'the prison' and the terminally ill patients she showed off her artwork to as the inmates.

The white-haired girl was adamant about not revealing to the world despite her gruff exterior; she was still Lincoln's sweet little angel.

"Dad." a familiar scratchy voice from behind him called.

"It's about time we go to the church." Lyra with Lemy in tow. The white-haired man nodded. He tried patting his white-haired daughter's head while he passed her. Lupa tried biting his hand.

"I love you bumblebee," he said as he began his journey with his Luna's kids.

"You're not the person I hate the most," Lupa called back. That was Lupa speak for 'I love you too, Daddy.'

* * *

"God bless you." a boney and dirty looking woman said as Lincoln handed her a bag full of canned foods, vegetables, and Onions.

The white-haired man merely smiled at the woman.

Lincoln was not into religion. He didn't even know if he believed in God. The concept of an all-powerful creator never seemed to appeal to him. But he did believe in treating your fellow man with decency and helping out others less fortunate than him. That's why when Lyra went to her Church to assist in a food-giveaway, he tagged along. It was fun, and it felt nice to be doing something that could help someone's life a little bit better.

Lincoln also got to dress up as Ace-Savvy for this when Halloween came around, He knows it sounded somewhat dorky, but he felt just a teensy bit like a superhero.

The one backdrop to this entire day was Lemy. The boy hadn't smiled once since he got here, and Lincoln could tell he was irritated even if the boy hadn't complained.

"Having fun, eh, Lem?" Lincoln asked his son.

Lemy gave a curt nod while handing a bag over to a person in line.

"Doing good deeds for goodness sake. Is there any finer act than that?"

Lemy shook his head slightly.

Lincoln's smile fell slightly.

The boy usually perked up when Lyra brought them over for this. Lincoln knew his wild-haired son wasn't religious, but he typically enjoyed helping others when he could just as much as his old man and Lyra did.

But for the last couple of months, the boy had been withdrawn. Far more quiet more than usual. His family tried to get him out of his shell, but it appeared to be no avail. Lily tried especially hard to lift the boy's spirits. The young women was always more an older sister than an Aunt to most of his kids, she always had a soft spot for Lem. Lincoln's youngest sister and lover often gave the boy gifts that would usually excite the boy. New games, a new toolbelt, even concert tickets to a Smooch. Lily also offered to drive him to the concert. Nothing. Lemy gave the gifts to his siblings or sold them for money with the loose justification; the gifts just weren't his style. Lincoln tried reminding the boy subtly Lily didn't have a lot of money to throw around and that the boy could stand to act a little more grateful. The little guy didn't seem to get the message. The white-haired man was not an angry person and tried taking after his parents in terms of parenting-being chill, letting his kids work out their issues themselves, but always clear he was ready and willing to help the second they'd ask, or need some.

He'd admit to being peeved at his son's seemingly selfish behavior. He planned on giving the boy chewing out when he auctioned off the Smooch tickets that cost $100 for no more than $30. Still, Lily interceded on the boy's behalf, saying she wasn't mad at the boy and that she understood kids Lemy's age were going through some radical changes, that made them act out.

Lincoln tried to be an understanding. Puberty is a bitch after all, and kids being moody is normal. It still hurt seeing his little guy from being so bright and bubbly to be such a downer all time.

A couple of hours later, they were done, and the Church's reverend gathered the volunteers in the building and asked all in attendance to get in a circle to say a prayer.

The white-haired man and Lemy joined mostly out of politeness.

On their way home, Lyra talked extensively on how they made a difference in someone's lives.

Lincoln suspected mostly for Lemy's benefit.

* * *

Lincoln looked over the poster he threw up for Leia's cookie Cartel. It looked pretty good in his estimate. It featured his princess in her usual beauty holding up a box cookies on top of an ivory throne. He went to show his princess his work when he made it to the heard loud speaking. Leia could be quite the character. The small blonde girl was standing on her pink bed, which gave her the ability to tower over the taller girls.

A group of her fellow scouts had gathered in her and Lizy's room. Her little friends Marsha and Gwen stood on ground beside her.

"Lo, my sisters, our enemy has shown themselves to be underhanded, vicious, and bereft of any sense of propriety. They have plundered our territory, breaking the pact we'd made under the hollowed oak tree in Megan's park." the small girl bellowed like she was giving a sermon. She gave an exaggerated sigh. "I must shamefully admit my part in the harm they'd waged." This generated shouts of denial from the crowd scouts in attendance and calls that Leia was great. Only Leia's big friend Natasha who never wore the full scout uniform didn't join in. She sat in the corner, examining one of Lizy's toy dinosaurs.

Leia held up a hand and her, and fellow scouts went silent

"Your praise always warms my heart, dear sisters, but here it is unjustified. I agreed to the treaty. My need to see the better in my fellow scout had blinded me to their true nature. My want for peace was great after seeing so many of my sisters accosted in pursuit of delivering the fine people of Royal our treats. I let my optimism override my rationalism. I let Stephanie bewitch me." Stephanie was the leader of the Bluebell scouts regiment in Royal woods. Lincoln knew Stephnie's father; it was Lincoln's old school friend and co-worker Liam. She was also one of Luan's students. Liena used to babysit for the girl. From what Lincoln gathered from them Stephnie was just as big into theatrics as Leia.

"I thought calm, reasonable dialogue would lead them to respect our boundaries. I believed in Stephnie's honeyed lies because they sounded so delicious. I naively thought they'd listen to reason. I now see the truth. Stephnie and her followers are truly an insidious lot." Leia declared pacing along her bed.

"The only language they will ever understand is the language of force-of power," she said and raised a finger. "Are you ready to talk to them, my sisters?" Leia asked pointedly.

"Yes!" the group of girls shouted in unison. Natasha had begun playing with the two dinosaur and one Lizy's transformers

"Is that the loudest you could speak maggots?" Gwen growled loudly. "Because if so, I think the Blue twits won't hear you. Are ya ready to talk?"

"Yes!" the group of girls thundered.

"Hail Leia the cookie Queen." one of the girls ushering in a chant.

Leia had a look of solid resolve on her face. A look of a true queen.

Lincoln chose this moment to step into the room.

"Hail Princess," Lincoln said and gave a bow. He enjoyed playing along with his daughter. "I have cometh to bequeath you a new poster highlighting your organization's uh royalness." Leia took the poster and smiled as she unraveled it. "Thank you, uncle, for your aid in our righteous war." the small girl threw her arms around him and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.

Lincoln picked the girl up with one arm.

"Leia, your friends are going to have go home soon. It's almost dinner time."

Leia fussed at this. "Oh, but I was about to give my detailed plan of annihilation." she moaned.

Lincoln quirked an eyebrow. "And how long would that take?"

Leia seemed to mull it over in her head. "A couple of hours," she admitted.

The white-haired man just looked at his princess. "I said it was detailed!" she whined. The girl then sighed. "Sorry, girls, we'll have to start this again later."

Lincoln nodded. "Now, does everyone have a ride home?" all the girls nodded. Except for Natasha, who was still busy playing with Lizy's toys. "Natasha, sweetie, do you have a ride home?"

"Yeah." the girl pronounced in a deep Russian accent.

"Ok, girls, you can keep playing_."

"Uncle Lincy, we're not playing, we're planning on ways to destroy our enemies." his

seven-year-old daughter pouted.

The white-haired man nodded. "Ok, sorry, princess. You guys can keep planning until your ride gets here." he set Leia down on the floor, gave her quick peck on the head, and made his way out.

* * *

Lincoln slowly crept behind Lisa as she worked on her computer. In his hands, he held a play of the night's dinner. Lisa Loud, often got transfixed in her work. She often forgot the more simple things-eating, for example. It was often up to him or Lulu to bring the woman her meals.

"Hey there, beautiful." Lisa jumped slightly at the sound of his voice. She turned around to look at him and smiled at him.

"Hello Lincoln, I trust it's time for supper."

"Yep." he set the dinner plate down on Lisa's desk.

"I'll be sure to eat it when I'm finished with my work Lincoln," she said, turning her eyes back to her computer monitor.

Lincoln put his hands on her shoulders.

"Nope, now. Even great, beautiful genius's like Lisa Loud need to eat."

Lincoln's sister sighed. "Dear elder brother, my work_."

Lincoln interrupted her. "Is truly something that's going to help revolutionize the world and blah blah, techno babble I don't understand blah. And you're right. What your doing is probably way too advanced for my little mind to understand. That is all true."

He swiveled Lisa's chair so his little sister could face him. He crouched down, grabbed his lover's small hands, and proceeded to kiss them.

"But what's also true is that I love you so much and I want you to be around a long time. I need you. Who else is going to do my taxes?"

Lisa scoffed at his question. "So I deduce that is my intrinsic value to you? That of a personal accountant?"

Lincoln put a hand on his hand and looked up like some great Greek thinker that's been posed a hard question. "Well, yes."

Lisa gave him a playful hit on the chest. Lincoln held his hands up. "Hey, now I didn't say that's all your worth to me. You're also a great lay."

Lisa chuckled at that. "So my ability to save you capital, and give ample coitus is why you want me. I feel so unappreciated."

The white-haired man cupped his lover's face in his hands lightly. "I didn't say I want you. I said, I need you. You are the mother of my child—a partner. And a piece of my heart. So you need to eat."

Lisa sighed but reached over to plate and began eating the sausage and greens Liena had prepared for the family. Lincoln stayed and kept his eyes on her to make sure she finished her meal.

"Are you satisfied?" she said before gulping the last bit sausage. Lincoln cupped her cheek, rubbed it gently, proceeded to kiss her on the mouth.

"Now, I am."

* * *

"You're getting out of shape," Lynn said as she traced circles around Lincoln's naked wheezing stomach. The two had gone at it for over an hour, and he got spent. The sex the two had been hard and hot and something that took a lot out of him. Sex with Lynn was like everything else in her life-a competition. She kept score of how many times the other succeeded in getting the other to orgasm, and always got slightly angry when she did as if Lincoln had scored a point in a game of tennis with her. As he got older, he found it harder to keep up. Lincoln still thought of himself as an adequate lover. For instance, he'd made Lola squirt plenty when she came over, and that woman has had more experience with sex than he could hope to match. The white-haired man just preferred to have things go slower, have it be more be sensual than excitable. But he also was a people in terms of sex. He couldn't get entirely off unless he felt his partner was thoroughly enjoying themselves.

"You're calling it quits this early. Just last year, you could go twice as long."

"I'm just getting old when people get old they get more tired easily when they're doing something hard." Lincoln declared.

"Stinkoln, I was the one who was doing something hard," Lynn said while wiggling her eyebrows.

Lincoln groaned. "Come on; even Luanne would say that sucked."

Lynn chuckled then licked her lips. "Almost as much as me."

Lincoln just rolled his eyes

"But though, I'm older than you, and I could go all night."

"You're you; I'm pretty sure you could go a thousand nights and run a marathon immediately afterward."

Lynn grunted. "Eh, you're probably right about that. But you're still getting out of shape. I should tack on a couple of extra miles to our run with Lacy tomorrow."

All his sisters wanted to do some group activity with their kids when they came over. When Lori came by, they played video-games with Loan. Or more accurately, Lincoln and Lor played against Loan to try and beat the girl in some of her multiplayer games. Loan insisted on this dichotomy, arguing that it wouldn't be fair otherwise. They never could even with the numerical advantage. Lincoln was proud.

Leni loved to knit some scarves. Lincoln did not like to brag; some of the stuff he knitted was almost wearable. W

When Luna came over, he, Lyra, and Lemy would go to a karaoke cafe where she worked.

Luanne took him and Libby to see some of her standup at a club she performed at sometimes. The material was pretty good a lot it was centered around her life's difficulties, especially her job as a middle-school teacher.

Lucy would do a similar thing but instead would take him and Lupa to the cafe where she'd read poetry. Lupa's poetry was sorrowful and powerful. Lincoln's were so wrong, only Lupa laughed.

Lana would take Lizy and him to the zoo.

Lola liked playing a good ole game of poker. Lincoln was glad he managed to convince her to bet candy, treats, and small favors rather than money. He'd owe the woman thousands of dollars. The comic-book enthusiast would owe his princess even more.

Lynn always did a group run with him and Lacy when she was over. It felt like hell, but the smiles on his partner and daughter's face when they finished was well worth the exhaustion.

Lincoln threw up his hands. "Why do you hate me so much, woman? First, you subject bad puns; now you want to give harder runs?"

"Because it's fun," Lynn said nonchalantly before kissing him on the nose.

She snuggled against his chest and closed her eyes. Peering at Lynn, this fantastic woman, the white-haired man felt content.

* * *

Lincoln felt a hard jab on his arm with something that felt like a stick. His tired mind then began to ask questions such as why was his room so cold? Why was his bed so hard?

"Loud for god's sakes man, are you alright." a familiar voice regal voice called to him.

"I apologize for my brother's naked display, my elder brother was merely trying to assist me in an experiment," Lisa yelled

The white-haired turned his head and found himself staring at a brown-skinned man and blonde-haired woman with perfect teeth. His neighbors and one of Lola's most frequent customers, we're looking at him in complete horror.

He turned his head and found himself to be completely naked on his neighbor's sidewalk. The fact he had a pretty pretty erotic dream featuring all his sisters in the Card cave also gave him a pretty sizable erection.

Lincoln was a grown man fully naked in public with a fully erect penis.

This was the type of situation that could get him placed on an extraordinary list that Lincoln had endeavored to avoid ending upon.

"Sorry!" he squeaked at the shocked Yates.

He immediately got up and ran to his house, begging God that no one else saw him.

When he got into the house to his bedroom before anyone of his kids could see his log, the white-haired man was hyperventilating. Lisa put a hand on his shoulder, and this helped calm him down enough to formulate words.

"Ace Savvy's cock Lisa you know I love you, girl, but I've told you a thousand times to at least ask me before you experiment with me."

Lisa looked at him as if he just spouted nonsense. "But I did implore you to help me with this particular endeavor. Do you truly not remember?"

Lincoln shook his head.

Lisa got a worried look on her face. It tore Lincoln's heart. "Lincoln, what is the last thing you remember?"

"I went to bed," Lincoln replied.

"When is your birthday?"

"March 26."

"What is your current occupation?"

"I work at the burping burger."

That last answer did not seem to calm his youngest sister down.

"Who currently lives in this house?"

"Well me you, and the children."

"Children?" Lisa asked as if he said something troubling.

"Yeah, you know Lemy, Lyra, Lulu, etc. Any of this ringing a bell?"

Lisa shook her head. "Elder brother, I must sorrowfully admit that my experiment may have caused you a severe warp in memory."

Lincoln was confused at his sister's response. He did work at the Burping Burger.

"But everything I said was true."

Lisa shook her head again. "Please do not worry-I-I'll heal you. Please believe me; I didn't mean for this to happen."

Lincoln was so confused. But the worry he felt for his sister was great. His instinct when seeing any of his sisters distressed was to try and help them.

He went to his sister and cupped her face, small adorable face in his hands.

"Hey, I don't know what exactly is going on, but I trust you. Completely." Lisa seemed to calm down just a little at his words. He smiled and placed his lefthand on the small of her back kissed her on her pretty little mouth gently.

The little genius did not return the affection; she shoved him off and looked at him in repulsion and fear. She took out her little tranquilizer gun. She always carried around with her.

Lincoln's heart broke at sight. He took a step towards his lover.

Then he felt something prick his stomach.

"What'd_" was all he said before keeling over.

* * *

Clyde pulled into the Loud house's driveway in his old Corvette. Susan had proposed for him to move in with her at the restaurant. It's not that Clyde didn't have strong feelings for the woman, but the two had only been dating for a few months. It seemed way too fast, and he thought to move in would be too big a leap right now. Besides, someone had to look after Lincoln. His best friend had hit been in a slump for a while. Lincoln rarely went out except for getting groceries. When it wasn't close to his deadline, the man often just slept through the day, and sometimes Clyde had to remind his friend to properly groom himself-such as taking showers every day. The large man had to personally drive the man to the dentist and get a physical just last week. Clyde feared without his presence; Lincoln would fall off the wagon entirely.

Susan said she accepted Clyde's decision, but Clyde could tell she was bitter.

It was his turn to make dinner tonight, but he was feelingly just a tiny bit lazy, so he stopped the Burping Burger. He picked up Lincoln a Mcburp, and Lisa some Burping nuggets and headed in the house

When he got into the house, he went to Lincoln's room, but his white-haired friend wasn't there.

He called Lincoln's cell to see where he was in the house but only heard ringing from inside Lincoln's room.

Clyde frowned and went to the staircase.

"Dinner's ready, Lincoln!" he hollered. No response of any kind.

His frown deepened.

Lincoln rarely left the house. And he definitely wouldn't be out this late, especially this close to his deadline.

The large man went to see if his friend was the house's other occupant.

Clyde feared Lisa and tried to avoid being alone with her when he could.

He opened the door to the basement and walked down its old steps.

"Lisa, where's Lincoln?" Clyde stopped seeing a somewhat bizarre sight. Lincoln was on a table, barely clothed and unconscious.

"I don't know ." the woman whispered, seemed to say in response to his question even though her brother was right in front of her. Clyde immediately got worried. Lisa was not precisely sane. But her response sounded out there even for her.

"He's right there. You see him don't you?" Clyde inquired, slowly approaching the two ready to grab his friend and make a run for it if need be.

The small woman shook her head. "Our Lincoln is gone."

This was so confusing. "Then who is the guy that looks exactly like Lincoln." Clyde tried asking without letting fear creep in his voice. Lisa Loud was a scary woman normally. He did not want to be around her if when completely unhinged.

"Someone else." Lisa said tersely rubbing herbhead in frustration.

"I tested this person extensively to see if there was any neurological damage that could explain away his peculiar behavior. Still, I found nothing; I tried seeing he was suffering any other physical ailments. But I found him to be Too healthy." the woman rambled.

Clyde just stared at her, not knowing what to say in response.

"His weight, his teeth, everything I gleaned from the medical files from his most recent-physical_."

"How would you know what's in his medical files?" Clyde interrupted.

Lisa waved her hand as if it was no big deal. "I sought them out of boredom and to see what incompetents my brother would entrust his health to but Clyde keep your attention on the important issue." she pointed to Lincoln. "I could see the man you see before you have too many physical discreteness to explain. I tested his DNA. It was a match. But the physical discrepancies showed he couldn't be. Then I had an admittedly odd idea. I tested his universal signature. The signature everything in this universe has. This man's signature could not be from this universe. Meaning this is not my brother, nor your friend. Its someone morally perverted beyond rationality."

She got out a remote and flicked on the computer in her room. On it showed a completely naked Lincoln kissing Lisa deeply in the lips.

"Jesus Christ Lisa, what did you do?" Clyde whispered.

"I implored my elder brother in helping me test my teleportation machine. He agreed to aid me. And someone some way it appears to have transported him to another universe."

A deep look of guilt settled on her face

"Clyde, I fear I may have lost my brother."

* * *

**A/N **

**Edits jun 7**

**Added lime about Stephnie being a **


	4. Up to the Task

**Discretion Assured beta read this. Oh, also I don't own the cartoon knowned as the loud house. If I did there would be a lot more pain and misery in it. Nuuo thanks for pointing out Lana's clothes. I did mean overalls. Also, you're complaint about the last chapter slowing the story's momentum is valid.**

* * *

Lincoln awoke with a great need to piss and went to relieve himself. When he got to the bathroom, the white-haired man reached down to untrap his member to allow the yellow river to flow. Lincoln jerked in shock when he felt nothing there. He peered down, realizing there was something there, but it wasn't his penis, he didn't even have his balls. A clean-shaven pussy was starring at him mockingly. He screamed and discovered his junk wasn't the only thing different; his voice was high and shrill.

He then heard the door to the bathroom opening. Ten men, ten boys, and two girls came in most with varying shades of blonde and brown hair, but there was one boy with white-hair who was smiling. A short glasses-wearing man in a lab-coat was at the head of them. "Please, dear sister, tell us what is the matter?" he asked with no emotion whatsoever.

Lincoln shrieked. "What's going on." his voice sounding far too feminine to his liking."Who are you, people?"

The glasses-wearing man with stoically responded. "We are your husbands' dear sister. Please try to calm down; it may damage the fetus developing within you."

Lincoln sputtered. "B-but I'm a dude," he said, his voice still sounded high.

The glasses-wearing man shook his head and pointed to his right.

Lincoln turned and, to his immense horror, saw a heavily pregnant white-haired woman in the mirror starring right back at him.

"You see you're quite pregnant, Linka." the glasses-wearing man said as a maniacal grin emerged on his face.

Lincoln opened his mouth.

* * *

Lincoln screamed as he awoke. He heaved slowly, his heart hammered so hard he feared it might break free from his chest. The white-haired man calmed down in five minutes. It was just a nightmare; he repeated that simple to himself over and over again until he believed that irrefutable fact. He reached down to make sure all his usual equipment was still there. He let out a sigh of relief when he grappled onto his penis.

He decided to take a shower ice-cold to cool himself down; It didn't work.

When Lincoln finished, he decided to brush his teeth when he finished he stared in the mirror. "I am Lincoln Marie Loud. Nothing will change that." The white-haired man hoped, saying this fact out loud would make him feel better: it didn't work.

The white-haired man went to the nightstand and picked up the phone his counterpart owned. Lisa and her sisters said he could use most of the stuff their brother owned.

Lola declared he couldn't touch any of the mint-conditioned comic-books plastered on his counterpart of the wall.

The blonde diva said she didn't spend thousands of dollars buying them for her brother just to have its' value depleted by some stranger.

Lincoln was offended at the implication he'd be capable of doing something so heinous. Unlike his counterpart Lincoln had morales. He would never mess with another man's collection.

He wanted to grab a smoke or beer from the fridge after waking up, but his counterpart supposedly didn't smoke or drink. Lisa looked disgusted at the mention of him smoking. Lincoln was accustomed to looking at disparagingly for his nicotine habits. Mostly from Clyde, who felt to give him an in-depth lecture on why smoking is unhealthy as if Lincoln didn't know that. The white-haired man knew smoking caused cancer, teeth-rot, and a whole litany of harmful and scary things. He didn't care. His life was a bitch, and smoking helped lessen his awareness of that fact. Still, Lincoln knew his friend meant well. Lincoln could bear his friend's finger-wagging. Lincoln, however, felt his sister's perverted counterpart could stand never to judge anyone's habits.

Don't throw stones in glass houses; in Lisa's case, her home is made up of some pretty cheap and fragile glass.

At least Lincoln's Lisa didn't judge him over it.

He played a game on the phone, one he played on his world: Ace Savvy's Bizzare penitentiary. Lincoln was not an overly competitive sort like some of his sisters, but he felt mildly irked when he saw the game stats his counterpart had acceded his own.

Lincoln tried throwing himself in the world.

Forget about it all Linc; about the dream; about the insane world you're stuck in. Just focus on the game Linc. Focus. Nothing else matters besides the game.

No matter how much he commanded himself to not dwell on uncomfortable thoughts, the white-haired man found himself doing so.

Lincoln hadn't thought about Linka and her brothers in years.

When he was a dumb kid, he dreamt he went to another world with a family of all boys; it sucked a hard scat covered dick. He didn't consider himself a wimp by any metric, but the life of constant roughhousing, and lax in terms of hygiene was not his cup of vodka.

Given recent events, he supposed it was more likely than not that there were Linkas that did exist and that she was fucking her blood and getting pregnant year-round.

The thought made him feel sick.

Lincoln tried focusing more on his game. His Ace savvy beat one of his signature foes, Klaberjass, a German ultra-ripped wrestler, through plugging one of his trump cards into his helmet.

Why couldn't his genius sister send him to a world where he was Ace-Savvy? Or some non-incestuous Casanova? Or a world where he was some big-shot like Bill Buck? A world where'd he at least can enjoy himself.

Today would be the first day of his life as a slave. Well, not technically as he would be getting paid, but he was still being forced to work; also, Lisa and her sisters said they'd take most of the money and put it towards paying the house's bills.

So yeah, slavery.

Lincoln continued playing the game for a couple of hours fearing what he'd see should fall back asleep until he noticed a small figure watching with a smile He jumped from the bed and dropped the phone on the floor.

Lulu simply giggled at Lincoln's reaction. She took out her pacifier. "Dada." she cried with utter joy. The girl throughout his short-stay so far, had consistently referred to him like that.

He tried to generally stay away from her since he saw her more horrific abilities. The jumping was one thing, but when he saw the kid's face change into that of a monster around yesterday's dinner, he decided to steer clear from her. He was not ashamed of the fact he screamed and ran all the away to his counter part's room and proceeded to cry in a mixture of fear and confusion.

He was just a man, after all.

"Lincoln," he said reflexively. The white-haired man wouldn't forget who he was.

She held out her arms. When he didn't move towards her, she raised her little arms higher.

When he still didn't move, the girl began to look grieved. "Dada?" she cried with less joy this time.

Lincoln didn't know what to do.

"She wants you to pick her up dingus." a dry monotone voice piped in from behind him.

Lincoln jumped again and was greeted by the sight of a smiling Lupa with a candy cigarette being held to her mouth

"Ok, if anyone else is here, let me know right." the white-haired man commanded forcefully. "Please." he then added meekly.

Lupa rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, no one else is here." she then put her on her chin and quirked her head up slightly.

"Or is there?" she asked dramatically. "Meh, who knows, who cares."

"I care. I value my privacy." Lincoln asked tersely.

"Didn't you grow up in a house like this," Lupa asked, quizzed.

Lincoln nodded.

"Then you know privacy isn't a thing with over thirteen people living under this creaking old roof. Bitch about this fact as loudly as you want; you'll only succeed in getting a sore throat."

The white-haired man frowned. The girl was right in that living with more people could lead to less privacy. Still, it didn't mean he had to like such intrusion or that his valid complaints were 'bitching.'

"How did she get in here anyway," he asked Lupa.

"You're not going ask how I got in here?" Lupa asked with a hint of amusement in her voice.

Lincoln shook his head. "You're Lucy's daughter. I figure you get it from your mother, and I've learned to stop questioning how she appears out of nowhere."

Lupa pursed her lips and nodded.

"She could turn invisible and could usually phase through most things." the white-haired girl explained.

Lupa went to pick up her sister. "Because you're an abomination ain't ya little Lu. Whose a crime against nature? You are." she said, bouncing mutant lightly in her arms.

The baby still reached towards Lincoln; she looked profoundly frustrated. "Wan Dada." declared with a hint of anger this time.

Lupa sighed. "Lulu, that guy isn't Dad. He's just a white-haired idiot who looks like Dad." Lupa explained.

"Jesus fucking Christ man, what did I do," Lincoln asked. He wasn't one to get into arguments-especially with children, but Lupa had been a pain since he had got to this world.

Lupa looked at him, her ugly smile, never leaving. "I'm just giving her the most accurate description I could come up with to describe you. You do look like my dad. You are an idiot, given you smoke. Do you know how many people that stuff has killed already?"

Lincoln rolled his eyes. "Hey, it's my life and_." he stopped. "How did you know I smoked?"

The white-haired shrugged. "I was there when you asked Lisa where the cancer-sticks and booze where."

"I didn't see_." he stopped himself remembering Lupa was Lucy's daughter.

Lulu started fidgeting slightly to try to get to him.

"Well, it's my life."

Lupa nodded. "If you have no respect for it, why should I?"

"Well, you're munching on those candy-cigarettes!" he pointed out the hypocrisy.

Lupa took one last bite of the sugary treat and proceeded to laugh. "It's candy. You might as well say playing a videogame where you kill NPCs is the same thing as literally killing hundreds."

The baby in her arms kept fussing

Lulu looked up to her sister, the small mutant's lip started quivering and then proceeded to cry.

Lupa rolled her eyes and walked up to him and shoved the baby into his chest. "Hold, hug, and pat her." she barked loudly, her eyes promised violence should he refuse.

Lincoln automatically obeyed.

The small mutant stopped crying almost immediately, and she smiled up to Lincoln. Lincoln smiled back, reflexively. What else could he do? He was scared out of his wits; the girl would eat him and didn't want to give her reason to.

"Are you happy you little monster, now that you're being held by a weird, awkward guy who only looks like your daddy?"

Lulu just giggled and nuzzled into Lincoln's chest.

"Well, if this isn't proof this girl won't have daddy issues when she grows up, I don't know what is."

Lupa sighed but reached over and started rubbing the small mutant's head. "She'll be like this until Dad gets back. Just bear with it, ok, it's not a big deal." the white-haired girl said this as if her father merely went out to get groceries.

"Lisa said he might not come back." Lincoln pointed out softly.

The white-haired girl looked at Lincoln as if he had just said something heinous like 'The Crimson Chin v Ace Savvy was good heinous' level heinous.

"He's coming back." the white-haired girl proclaimed with as much certainty as one might have proclaimed the sun would rise tomorrow.

"But Lisa said_."

"Lisa is just trying to milk this, she's trying to make the task seem so much harder than it is, so when does bring dad back, it'll seem that much more of an accomplishment. Lisa sometimes does this. Profess some doubt on whether or not she'd be able to do some crazy thing for science and what do you know, she succeeds, and Dad becomes a bigger cheerleader for her." the white-haired girl reasoned. She shut her eyes and scrunched up her face as if explaining was uncomfortable.

"But_."

"Stop talking, idiot." Lupa sneered at him legitimate anger seeping in her voice.

Lulu glared at Lupa, let out a deep scratchy beastly growl that would scare a lion. Lincoln was surprised he didn't piss himself.

Lupa rolled her eyes at the small mutant. "Lu, be quiet. You know if I'd actually meant this guy harm, I'd sneak in here at night and slit his throat while he slept."

Oddly enough, this seemed to calm the baby down. It did not do the same thing to the person the small girl was grappling.

"What?" Lincoln squeaked.

"Relax. It was a joke, maybe?"

"Maybe?" Lincoln asked.

"There's a 95 percent chance I'm joking."

Lincoln frowned. "I don't like you."

Lupa gasped. "But I've so tried desperately to get your approval. I've been the nicest I could reasonably expect to be."

"You've so far only insulted me, and offered me death threats."

Lupa threw up her hands. "Exactly! And I even decided to listen to Lyra and tell you breakfast was ready instead of allowing you to starve," she stated.

"Breakfast is ready?" Lincoln inquired.

"Yep, it has been for about five minutes."

Lincoln frowned. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

The white-haired girl just stared at him. "You expect me to tell you things on time, like a slave. Unbelievable." she put a hand over eyes and one towards him. "I can't talk to you anymore." she began to walk away, leaving him with the baby. "Wait for what about_."

"Silence slaver, I've heard enough from your wicked mouth for now." Lupa declared as she departed.

Lincoln felt some scrounging in his arms, the mutant grappled on his shoulder and hoisted herself atop of Lincoln's should blades.

Lulu proceeded to pet his head, and Lincoln suspected the girl was trying to make him feel better.

She failed.

* * *

The breakfast was delicious. The pancakes were awesomely buttery soft, the bacon perfectly crisp, and the coffee had plenty of sugar.

The haired man wished he could enjoy it as he munched on the food.

To his side, Lynn was wolfing down her breakfast and watching his every move like he was some wild animal that may start biting people. The family had explained to him that every week one of the sisters would stay over at the house. Today would be Lynn's last day before Lola came over. The sport's obsessed woman was angry about him for punching her kid. Lincoln apologized to Lacy for that and planned to get the girl a present. Lynn, however, also might be mad at the fact he made her sleep on the couch, but Lincoln refused to apologize over that. Even her sisters sided with him. The white-haired man was not a selfish person, but he wouldn't give up a perfectly good room just so a brother-fucker could feel more comfortable.

A lot of the kids were starring at him awkwardly.

Lyle still looked at him with abject hatred. Lincoln could empathize with the kid-what Lincoln said in regards to his mother was indisputably correct, but the white-haired man would get pissed if someone called his mother rapist.

Loan kept her eyes firmly on her plate, only sneaking glances at his plate.

Lulu was being fed by Liena, who thankfully kept from morphing into a monster.

Lupa smiled at him as if he was the funnies pt thing in the world.

The attention made him uncomfortable.

"Is this how we treat a guest in this house." Lyra pronounced loudly. "To gawk at him as if he was some weird creature while he tries to eat, or did our father and mothers raise you better than that? You'll be going to school shortly. Focus on your food."

The kids obeyed.

Lynn kept her eyes firmly trained on him, but it was still a welcome improvement.

Lincoln mouthed a thank you to the girl. The luna-look alike and gave him a strained smile.

She was uncomfortable with his presence as well, but she made an effort to be civil; Lincoln appreciate that.

After breakfast, he discovered the family had managed to keep Vanzilla.

Lincoln lost the old Loud heirloom a year back. His father had said he was old enough to be entrusted with the thing, and that Lincoln needed Vanzilla more than him. Lincoln could agree on the last part. Vehicles were expensive, and Lincoln's occupation didn't allow him much capital to buy one. The white-haired man didn't entirely blame himself. He had made the understandable mistake of leaving the doors unlocked when he went to grab a pack of smoke from flips real quick. When the white-haired man came out of the store, Vanzilla was gone. He filed a police report, but the vehicle was never found.

Lincoln got a real scolding from his father, and the two hadn't spoken in months that it happened. The next time they talked was when his family was trying to dump his sister Lisa on him. His father had astutely referenced how Lincoln lost one member of the family. The least he could do was provide some shelter to another.

The proclamation did make Lincoln feel guilty.

The white-haired man was never as intoxicated with the machine as his father had been. Hell one time, he and his sisters tried to get their father to get a new van. A van that didn't stink to high heaven that didn't have many stains and didn't breakdown occasionally, but he could appreciate the sentimental value and do feel bad about losing it even if it wasn't entirely his fault.

He dropped Lizy off at daycare first. Lynn stepped out to walk her into the building. Lincoln watched the woman crouch down and gave the girl a hug and a kiss on the cheek before the small girl went into the building.

He discovered Leia attended John Wester Academy, a private school that Lincoln knew to be expensive. One of his old friends, Stella, got into it. She told Lincoln and his crew she was sorry, but her family already spent a lot of money to get her in. They still hung out sometimes, but eventually drifted apart.

When he parked in front of the elite school, a bunch of young girls lined up.

Three girls came up to the van: one dark-skinned, one with brown hair, and a big girl with blonde hair. When Leia got out of the van, the brown girl shouted something. "The cookie Queen has arrived at her domain." with that, all the girls stood up a little straighter and gave a salute. Leia passed the three other girls, and to went, the girls lined up. She appeared to be inspecting them.

"It's part of a game they play," Lyra explained from the back. "It's all in good fun."

Lincoln shrugged his shoulders. His sister Lola was also into roleplaying as a little queen when she was that age, too, though she didn't have that many other girls in her little game.

When they arrived at the middle-school, Lacy, Lupa, and Lemy were let out.

"Bye, Uncle Lincoln, I love you!" the white-haired girl said before she closed the door. If her was goal was to make Lincoln feel uncomfortable, it succeeded.

Even Lincoln's nieces and nephews never called him uncle on the few occasions he saw them. He preferred it that way quite frankly. Being called uncle made Lincoln feel old. He had enough reminders of mortality from his white-hair.

When he finally arrived at the high school to let the oldest children, Lynn did not get out with them even though he was told she worked here as a gym teacher. Lincoln was not surprised at her occupation. The white-haired man's sister once said getting pregnant would be death to any shot of a sport's career after one of her friends Martha, or Marla got knocked up. His sport's obsessed sister was shocked her friend would allow such a thing to happen and vowed she'd never been so stupid to have sex without a condom, boatload of pills on hand.

"I should have got the room. It's my and my family's house. You're a stranger." Lynn said apropos of nothing.

"Your sisters said I could have it." Lincoln pointed out a little peeved.

Lynn nodded towards him. "That's why I ain't gonna toss your freckled ass out of it. The family gets to decide who gets what in the house. I respect the code." the brown-haired woman explained. "If you mess up for on my Lincoln's job, I swear I'll make you even less of a man than he is," she said cooly.

Lincoln rolled his eyes and nd started to respond before feeling a hard vice-like grip around his testicles.

"Nod if you understand me." Lynn barked.

Lincoln nodded faster than he ever did in his life. "Don't for second think I've forgotten what about you did to my girl if you do anything to hurt any of the kids like that again I swear you won't be making any of your own. You get me, Stincoln?" she squeezed harder.

"I do!" Lincoln groaned.

"You are not my Lincoln. He's a great guy; he's a piece of my fucking heart, you-you're just a fat coward. You're just a filthy imposter." she growled.

"Say you're a filthy imposter," she demanded

Lincoln said nothing. His identity was the one thing he had in this world.

Lynn squeezed harder.

"I'm a filthy imposter." Lincoln squeaked out.

Lynn nodded. "Glad we cleared that up."

She released her grip and got out of Vanzilla.

By the time Lincoln made his way to Burping burger, his balls, for the most part, had stopped aching. His pride however was still very much sore. He planned on buying a case of beer and a pack of smokes on his way him. They'd help him forget the pain.

* * *

A couple of hours in and Lincoln was bored out of his mind. There wasn't much to do after counting inventory, and Lisa said she'd handle all the schedules, or matters in paperwork when he got back to the house. He decided to play on his phone in his office in the back. He had his feet propped on the desk, with his shoes off, for extra comfort.

He was somewhat into the Ace-Savvy game when Liam opened his door. Lincoln immediately threw his feet off the desk, grabbed a piece of paper, and started scribbling. He also grabbed the phone. "Ah Liam, need help? I was just in here working."

"Linc, there's a customer who says they found a hair on their burger, and she wants to speak to you." the red-head pronounced.

Lincoln wondered why Liam was working here. Lincoln's old school back home had inherited and worked on his farm. At least that's what Lincoln gathered when seeing him on his Gobook. Lincoln wouldn't ask, however. There was probably a sad story behind it, and if Liam had told the white-haired man's counterpart, it'd come off as insensitive.

Lincoln got up and followed Liam to the disgruntled customer. The person who made the complaint was an old, wearing a bright yellow dress with some stains and dirty pink hat. She didn't smell right.

The Burping burger was mostly empty; the only other customers in the establishment were two trench-coat wearing men with beards. One was wolfing down his meal. The other didn't appear to have touched his and merely watched Lincoln as he made his way to the complainer

"Oh heavens dearie, I don't mean to be a bother, but I got an unwelcome thing in my breakfast."

She pointed to the strand of hair on sticking out of a burger.

Lincoln nodded. The solution to this seems simple enough. "Well, ma'am, we could give you a free meal_."

"No!" a familiar womanly voice shouted. It was one of the trenchcoat-wearing figures with a beard. The person marched towards the booth and pointed to the older woman. "This bitch is trying to pull a hustle on you, Lincoln."

Lincoln frowned. "Lola?"

The former beauty-queen took off her fake beard, cap, and the sun-glasses.

Lincoln sighed and rubbed his nose. "And I assume your companion is Lana."

"Yep," Lana said while still eating her burger.

"Why are you guys dressed like really shady men?"

The diva rolled her eyes. "We needed to see if you would mess anything up if you didn't know we were here."

Lola pointed at the older woman who looked scared and confused. "She put her nasty-ass hair in the burger. I caught it all on my glasses."

"Glasses could do that?" Lincoln asked skeptically.

Lola rolled her eyes. "It's the 21st century Lincoln. Wake up. Everything could be used to spy on you."

She then took out her phone. "My glasses immediately sent the video of this ill-dresses harpy's trickery to my Gobook."

Lola presented the video to him and true to word, the video did show the woman in question, placing a strand of hair in her burger.

Lincoln turned to the woman and frowned.

The woman tried giving a nervous smile then looked down. "I-I'm sorry, I'm not normally like this, but lately, my life has hit a rough patch." the woman started crying.

Lincoln felt profound pity for the woman. He knew it could be another trick, but if it wasn't...

"Fuck that excuse. No one steals from my Lincy." Lola sneered before turning to her twin. "Lana smash this thief." the blonde diva commanded.

Lincoln held up his hand. "You're not hurting anyone. Or getting Lana to hurt anyone."

After taking another bite from her burger, the big woman responded. "Yeah, I don't feel comfortable beating an old lady over a piece of meat." Lana then got a thoughtful expression. "Well, at least a piece of meat that isn't mine."

"How much was the burger, Liam?" the white-haired man asked the red-head.

"$1.50."

Lincoln licked his lips and looked around the restaurant. It was still empty save for the staff and twins...

He took out his counterpart's wallet and fished out $20.00, and handed it to the woman.

"Just, don't come back here again without money, this isn't a charity. Now go on to finish your meal, and if you want something here, just use the money I gave you."

With that, Lincoln returned to his office, hoping to resume playing his game. Lola and Lana followed him there.

Lola looked enraged while Lana was licking her fingers with a pleased look on her face.

"Are you trying to get my Lincy fired?" Lola demanded as she walked in, Lana followed behind her much smaller sister, her fake beard hanging loosely around her neck.

Lincoln shook his head. "The lady already paid for the meal."

"She tried to scam the place. You didn't even ban her from coming back!" Lola seethed

"She seemed desperate, and we all need a break now and again. If she comes back with money, I'll give her food," he explained.

Lola opened her mouth once more. " Lola, you know damn well our brother would have given that woman $30, and a big hug." Lana groaned. "Stop acting like this guy isn't doing what we asked him to do. That being to pretend to be our brother."

Lola closed her mouth, then gave a sad smile. "Oh, my Lincy probably would do that because he's my knight in shining armor."

Lana nodded. "So let's leave this guy alone. He's not doing anything to fuck up. Besides, I have work to do today."

Lola frowned. "Fine. I have had some dates I need to get to too."

"Dates with who?" asked Lincoln. "I thought you were my counterpart' s_." Lincoln stopped trying to find a phrase that wouldn't turn his stomach. " He couldn't. "Well, you know."

Lola and Lana gave him bemused smirks. "I'm dating guys who pay me to date them. I'm a provider."

Lincoln frowned. "A provider of what?"

Lola shrugged. "Of sex mostly, but some guys are just satisfied with having the illustrious experience of being with me."

Lincoln gawked.

Lana gave him an understanding look. "I know it sounds weird. People wanting to be around Lola? I've been with her all my life, and I would pay someone just to get her ass away from me."

The smaller twin gave a punch to her bigger sister's chest. "If you feel that way, I guess you won't mind not getting some ass after I make my rounds?."

The bulky woman chuckled and held up her hands. "Alright, she's ok to be around sometimes."

"You're a whore?" Lincoln asked.

"The polite term is provider. Or if you want to get technical sex-worker," she said tersely. "I refuse to feel shame about what I do. I make people feel good, and I'm always safe with my dates. Some of the people I see can't find the intimacy I'm offering elsewhere. I had one client who was intersex. He had a micropenis and a scrotum that was a labia. I was his first, and made sure his experience was as comfortable as he could be. I help people."

Lincoln held up his hands in surrender to Lola's tirade. "I'm not trying to shame you or anything. I mean, I watch porn it so would be massively hypocritical for me to do that. I was just surprised. Since you were with your brother, I thought_,

"He was fucking all of us, and we're only allowed to fuck him? Does that in any way sound fair?" Lola asked. "My Lincy is great, but he doesn't own us and doesn't have more privileges in our relationship. He fucks who he wants to fuck, and we do likewise. Whether that be other guys, outside the family, or each other."

To showcase her last point Lola turned to Lana and kissed her bigger twin deeply on the mouth, Lana placed a hand on Lola's behind and returned the affection.

Lincoln shielded his eyes with his right hand and gagged. "Ok, I get you could do whatever you just for the love of Savvy, please stop."

"Fine you big baby," Lola said

Lincoln heard Lana pout.

The twins were smiling at him when he uncovered his eyes. Lana still had an arm wrapped around Lola's waist.

"We'll leave you alone for now. Just call us if you need help, ok." Lola said, and with that, the twins left the Burping Burger.

They wouldn't be the last Loud sisters stopped by, though they were the most dramatic.

Most of the other women, when they came, asked for him specifically to see how he was faring.

It started to fray on his nerves.

Lincoln wasn't a genius, but he wasn't an idiot. He didn't need round the clock checkups.

By Leni's visit, his mood had wholly soured.

Leni did not seem angry with him, and brought the white-haired man a sandwich to eat, and offered him a hug. When Lincoln reminded the woman he wasn't her Lincoln, she just nodded and smiled. "But you're still a person. And people need to eat, and you looked grumpy and totes needing a hug. I know you must be feeling lonely, but me and my family are here for you." she then gave him a big smile.

It didn't make Lincoln feel better.

Lily was the last to by the end of his shift. He was half-way towards the door before he spotted munching down on a burger.

She smiled awkwardly to him. "Ok, I know my sisters have been hounding you all day to make sure you were doing a good job, but I promise you I'm not here to do that. It would be somewhat pedantic. If you messed up, one of them would've killed you by now."

Lincoln frowned. "Then what are you here for?" the white-haired man asked.

The youngest sister shrugged. "Well, mainly to get a tasty burger. I honestly thought you got off earlier. If you do want to talk, I' would like to get to know." she said.

Lincoln opened his mouth to say no but then paused. He did eventually plan on talking with Lily.

"Let's talk in my office." the white-haired said

When the white-haired man closed the door, he knew he had to be tactful.

"So, how's school?" Lincoln asked casually while giving the girl his best smile.

Lily smiled back. "Pretty decent."

"Where are you going?"

"Green, Jack."

Lincoln's smile fell slightly. Green Jack was the community college in Royal woods. It wasn't that bad a place to attend. Lincoln himself got his Associate's there,

But it was a far cry from being as prestigious as the college Lincoln's youngest sister went to.

"That's cool. My sister Lily goes to the University of Michigan. I honestly expect her to pass at the top of her class. She's able to put her entire focus on her passions."

Lily chucked. "Lincoln, please, don't mince words. You're hoping to convince me not to get preggers. Am I right?"

Lincoln nodded

"You're about two months too late." the girl said proudly, placing her hand on her belly.

Lincoln sighed. "I know you don't really know me, but have you thought maybe_?"

"Of getting an abortion? Nope," she said cheekily.

"There's no shame in it. You're a young woman with your whole life ahead of you." Lincoln pressed. "All my sisters waited to have kids. They're living their dream and only moving up." Lincoln sometimes was jealous of his sisters' success, but he never desired to see them fail.

Lily shrugged. "Having this child is my dream. Besides, I have my family to support me."

"What about birth defects? Your sisters have been lucky so far. What if the luck runs out with you?"

Lily sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose. "Lincoln, I've heard all of this before. that I'm too young, it may be a littke risky. Its why my sister and brother decided to end the cycle with me. Lincoln even got snipped earlier last year."

Lincoln's eyes widened. "Wait, so that means _?"

Lily shook her head. "Nope, my brother won't be the father to my child. And if you're curious as to who will, that's between him and me. He's not exactly comfortable showing our love in public."

Lincoln was relieved partially that this Lily escaped the trap of being made pregnant by her brother. However, the guy who did knock Lily sounded scummy, albeit to a less extreme degree.

"Are you sure he'll be there for you." the white-haired man asked.

The girl nodded. "Of course. He wanted this and He loves me. He's just...nervous. But I'm sure once he peers into the blue eyes of his daughter he'll fall in love with her too and want the whole family to know she's his."

Lincoln did not share the girl's confidence in that.

But he knew he wouldn't convince her she was making a mistake. Reality would persuade her, though.

Still, even if the young girl wasn't his sister, he felt better knowing the cycle of incest wouldn't be renewed if he got back home.

* * *

**A/N **

**Heres where I ramble.**

**You know in the sin-kids verse it always bothered me seeing all the Loud women/girls only having Lincoln as a romantic/sexual partner. I find the idea(and I realize this will sound SJWish to some-I don't care), sexist.**

**Lincoln as a man gets to bang everything and every woman, but his sisters should bang be allowed to bang him? **

**Often this is the dictomy of Polygamous couples. Where only the man gets to bang multiple women. The women must accept it. **

**Even when the women/girls pursue a son of Lincoln theres an underlying message of that being ok moostly because they are a extension of Lincoln himself.**

**Also, intersex people are indeed real. I encourage anyone to look them up.**


	5. Pretending to Care

Guest-you said if a person loved someone in a romantic fasion, they would not seek to couple with someone else. You then said Lincoln only had sex with those he loved. It can't be both. Either one can enagage in a polyamorous relationship and love all those they're engaged with, or one must stay strictly monogomous with someone if they truly love them. Also most iterations of Lincoln featuring the sin-kids has him be a person every female who'd have him. There are multiple kids he sired with most women who aren't depicted as having deeply in love with.

Goofball, if we were to take your statement as true, would that not necessitate us concluding Lincoln doesn't love his sisters as much they love him?

Zeo man would love to hear a more in-depth analysis on what's causing the story to become boring. I'm not kidding, critism is how someone could grow

Ok enough rambling. For now

Discretion assured beta-read this for some ungodly reason.

* * *

Smoking made everything just a little bit better for Lincoln. He smoked whenever he made his deadline. He also tended to smoke on the rare occasions he got to have sex.

So from the living room, as he watched Lynn prepared to get on her bike to drive off, he lighted up a nice ole cancer stick. The sport's obsessed woman shot him a glare as she got on her bike. He shot her the bird as she rode off.

Lincoln Loud was not hateful person-but he sincerely wished the woman lost her balance, fell off the bike, and broke her fucking neck on her way home.

"Those things are super unhealthy, you know." a familiar voice said Lincoln turned his head and saw Lacy cradling the football he got her. Lincoln guessed the girl like sports given her mother but knew that wasn't an excellent indicator for her interests. His guess proved on point, though.

"Yep, they'll take your lungs, teeth, and your life, which is why you shouldn't do it. Just say no to drugs, kid," he said before blowing a ring.

"Why do it then?" Lacy asked, genuinely bewildered.

"It relaxes me," Lincoln explained.

Lacy smiled. "Well, I know a better, way more fun, and healthier way to relax."

Lincoln waited for her to continue. She just stared at him in expectation. Lincoln suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.

"Ok, what is it," Lincoln asked, already having an idea of what her answer would be.

"Playing football!" she cheerfully pronounced.

Lincoln grunted in response, neither affirming or disagreeing with the statement.

"Maybe we could toss the old pigskin in the backyard." the small girl suggested.

There were very few things Lincoln found less appealing than playing a real live actual sport. The guy was a classical dork through and through. Hell, if Lacy just said asked to punch Lincoln in the throat, he'd probably be more tempted to say yes.

He also preferred not to be around the kids. Lincoln didn't dislike most of them except Lupa, who had given him sufficient cause. They just made him uncomfortable.

Lacy gave him a hopeful look, which stopped him from just immediately saying no. He figured she deserved a better reason than it'd be boring.

"Well, doctors say playing football has a ton of medical drawbacks_."

"Only weak-livered nerds who've never threw a ball in their life say that." Lacy declared with absolute confidence.

"Well, that's, an opinion," Lincoln responded

"My mom told me so, and she knows everything about sports," she added as if the idiotic ramblings of a gym teacher triumphed upon decades of well established medical research.

His sister Lynn had made similar complaints about any sport she liked-that only pansies talked about increasing regulations in regards to it.

Lincoln decided to change his rhetoric. "Well, I would love to play, but you know I can't. I got them smoking lungs."

He gave a slight cough to accentuate his white lie.

"You don't have to do a lot. You could just throw the ball, and I'll catch it." Lacy pressed. "Heck, if you don't like playing football, we could play other things. Hockey, soccer, you name the sport, and I'm game!"

Lincoln frowned. For the past couple of days, the girl hadn't said a word to him besides to thank him for the ball, and honestly, the white-haired man preferred that level of interaction. It's why when he wasn't eating breakfast or dinner, he stayed in his bedroom.

"I don't want to sound like a jerk, but you seem especially friendly today. What's the deal?"

The girl fidgeted slightly. Her eyes fell to her new ball.

"Well, Mom was here, and she said I should give you space," Lacy explained. Meaning her mother ordered her to stay away from him. That's arguably the most helpful thing the woman has done for Lincoln.

"Now that she's gone back to her apartment, I thought we could hang. Umm, no one in the house likes sports' and my dad usually plays with me, especially when my mom's not around." she finished weakly.

Ah. The girl wanted him to play daddy.

"Well, I have to say the offer sounds great, but if your mom says you should stay away from me, I don't want to get you in trouble."

"It's ok, really," Lacy said, not getting the distinct hint of Lincoln not wanting to play with her. "My mom will be cool by the time she comes back 's she's the best woman in the world," Lincoln thought that statement would be true if the only women other in the world were serial-killers. "But she could be a little...cautious. She's still a bit mad at you for hitting me_."

"Your mother hates me," Lincoln clarified.

The girl's eyes widened at his true statement. "My mom doesn't hate you." she assuredly.

Lincoln's balls would disagree.

"It'll take a little while for her to warm up to you, but once she does, you'll see how awesome she is." Lacy proclaimed.

"I'll take your word for that kid." He offered the girl.

The girl started to back away from his arms, splayed out. "Well, I'll be around if you change your mind. You know about playing. No pressure."

"I'll think about it." meaning he'd never broach this topic again and hopes Lacy would forget about it.

Lacy smiled as if he promised to bring the Superbowl to Royal Woods.

* * *

"So any other plans tonight?" Lola asked as hiked up her black yoga pants. A provider not only had to create a physical intimacy but emotional intimacy as well, which meant doing things like asking how a client was doing or going to do like a girlfriend would and revealing small tidbits of your life-or at least appearing to. Lola often talked about her struggles in life. Some of which was even true though never showed enough to stalk her or her family-just enough, so her clients think they know really her. Some guys never wanted to talk, and just wanted to fuck.

The Yates were the type to talk-mostly about themselves.

"Not particularly. Tomorrow we're celebrating Belle passing the bar." Bumper bragged from his bed.

"Oh my god, that's awesome ." she enthusiastically as if this was the first time hearing about it.

"Our little girl's going to change the world." Jancey put in.

The couple proceeded to wax poetically on Belle, before inevitably branching out to brag about their other children.

Lola smiled as her customers rambled.

Lola put on her pink sweater and laced up her boots. She grabbed her purse and walked towards the still naked couple.

The blond woman hugged Bumper Yates. She then hugged the man's wife, who kissed her on the cheek, and gave Lola a hard smack on her rump.

Before walking out of the bedroom, she blew the Yates a kiss.

She recounted all the money given to her before heading out of the house. The couple's trust in her wasn't fully reciprocated. The Yates had been reliable customers for a couple of years now. Lola, however, made it a policy never to skirt on any of the precautions she put in place for any of her client's or potential clients. In addition to the high risk of being beaten, raped, and murdered, sex-workers had to worry about being cheated. Lola once had a client she thought was trustworthy hand her a wad of what would turn out to be fake dollar bills.

Lola only found out about the trick after trying to pay her then landlord with the money. Thankfully Her landlord didn't call the cops. Ever since that incident, she's checked any bills she'd gotten for any discrepancies. The biggest peeve for her if the police arrested her, she couldn't even tell the police what transpired without getting into more trouble. Many people justify the laws against prostitution as being needed to protect poor women and girls. Still, from Lola's experience, and observation they're more intended to punish women for the high crime of having fucking a lot of guys for reasons they find distasteful. If any of these people cared to protect women from sexual exploitation, they would have endeavored to close the state' marital-rape loopholes that make it legal for men to assault their unconscious or drugged out wives sexually, but a lot of them didn't. They'd legalize sex-work, so providers like Lola could adequately warn other women of predators.

Admittedly though, it wasn't even one of the worst experiences she's gone through as a provider-those would be the times she's been beaten, raped, and nearly murdered in her work. Those events tended to center around her first year at sex-work. She was less experienced. Less careful. Now Lola always carried mace, a switchblade, and a small gun in her purse far. She made sure to meet any potential client in public and learned to shit or piss herself if all else fails to avoid the possibility of rape. Andrew, an old but big prostitute Lola had been able to meet during her street-walking days and form a partnership with, stayed just outside, ready to intercede on her behalf. The man got 10 percent of what Lola made on a job, but that was more reasonable than a lot of men who'd be willing to do this would demand. Plus, since he was gay, Lola didn't have to worry about him forcing himself on her.

Despite her tribulations, Lola was not ashamed of her work. She helped people feel good, and it was her right to have sex, whoever wanted it from her. Her actions caused far less harm than other supposedly more 'moral' did. Millions of people have died from drinking beer-no one feels the need to denigrate those who sell that deadly product anymore. Lola also took pride in the fact her work would help ensure her Leia, and the other children would have the opportunities she didn't have. Leia said she wanted to join some prestigious military academy in preparation for her future attempts at world-conquest, and goddamnit Lola would make sure her princess did-even if it nearly cost a fortune.

The woman gave a thumbs up to Sandi when she got outside, signaling the man could head home. The woman walked across the street to her home.

Lola came in right when Liena set out dinner for the family. The kids chatted amongst themselves while Lincoln ate his food and had his eyes firmly glued on his plate.

She took her seat by her princess. "How was your day, sweetie?"

"It was pretty good. A potential recruit turned out to be a spy from Stephanie. It took only the threat of wedgie to get her talking about everything she knew about the witch's plans. Any of my soldiers would have endured way much more than that. They know whatever Stephnie could do to them, I would do worse to them, and endure worse for them."

Lola nodded, pleased with the news. Lola taught Leia to establish a proper level of fear and adoration from her followers and those around her. However, one sentiment could work enough, given some situations. Mainly fear. Her princess took the lesson to heart.

Leia continued talking about various technical details of her operations, and Lola listened contently.

"Whose taking Lisa dinner?" Lola inquired as dinner came to a close. Normally her Linky would do that.

"Aunt Lisa said not to bother her," Lyra confessed while helping clear the table.

Lola frowned. "But, you know how entrapped in her work she gets it."

Lyra winched. "I expressed worry to Aunt Lynn, but she just said aunt Lisa herself could decide when she should eat."

Lola slapped her forehead. Of course, Lynn wouldn't check on Lisa. The woman disliked the woman and argued their brother babied the genius.

She pointed to Lincoln. "You follow me."

The two Louds made their way to the basement though before entering, Lola stopped and turned to Lincoln.

"Lincoln, I understand that what we're probably about to see isn't your fault. I and my sisters I failed to tell you how hyper-focused Lisa could get, and we've relied on my Linky to ensure the woman doesn't waste away doing her work. She's the smartest woman in the world, but she's still human-she needs emotional intimacy_."

"I'm not sleeping with any of you." the man blurted out.

"Emotional intimacy. Not physical. Just let Lisa know you care about how she's doing,ng even if you don't. You could get the best out of people if they genuinely think you care about them."

Lola opened the basement door and proceeded downward.

Lisa crouched down at a metal ring. She was tinkering with an open lid on it.

"Hey, Lisa. You doing alright?" the former beauty queen broached.

The small woman turned to them. "Oh, hello elder sister, Lincoln. Yes, I'm doing...adequate with all things considered."

Lola noticed the uneaten plates of food on her desk. Lulu always brought her mother breakfast, but never stayed to insure her mother ate the food.

"When's the last time you ate?" Lola grilled the woman.

The genius dismissively waved a hand and tried turning back to her work.

"Don't ignore me." the diva commanded, turning Lisa to face her. "Answer me."

"When our beloved brother was here." the small woman whispered weakly.

Lola grounded her teeth. "How could someone so smart be so goddamn stupid?"

"I'm sorry." the genius whispered dejected, her eyes cast down.

Lola frowned. Lisa had never been Lola's favorite person, but the genius was still Lola's baby sister. The former beauty queen may give the nerd hell-rightfully so-but that didn't mean Lola wanted to see her hurting herself.

"Don't be sorry, just don't be a dummy," Lola said softly. She put a hand on Lisa's chin to raise her head, so the two sisters could look each other in the eye.

"You know no one wants Lincy back more than me_."

"So you must understand why it is the utmost importance for me to continue my work." she interrupted.

"You need to continue working in a way that won't kill you." she finished calmly. "I wouldn't want to lose a sister-even if it meant getting back my brother."

"You said you would kill me if I didn't get our brother back."

Lola waved a hand. "Oh, I wasn't serious-the worst I'd do would horrifically mangle you."

Lisa laughed at that as Lola knew she would.

Lola picked up the plate of food and shoved it in Lisa's hands. "Um, I agree with Lola." the white-haired man chirped in. "Still do your best. " he hastily added.

With great reluctance, the small woman started munching on the chicken casserole.

* * *

Lincoln woke up being jabbed. Lola stood over him in her pink Pajama bottoms, a blue t-shirt.

"Lizy had a nightmare," she announced as if it was some dire emergency.

"Ah shucks, that's too bad," he said before lying back down and shutting his eyes. "Let me know how you handle that."

Lola promptly yanked his covers, and pillow from under his head. He gave a mighty groan.

"Oh, stop the dramatics, you big baby. I need your help to calm her down."

"Don't see how I could be of assistence," he said. "Hell, I might make things worse. Imagine having a nightmare, and then seeing my ugly mug.," the white-haired man forced an awkward laugh.

Lola did not join him. "You have my Lincy's face if nothing else. I'd appreciate you not insulting it. Besides, it's the reason I need you. Whenever Lizy has a horrible nightmare, her father reads to her from one of his self-made genius comics."

"Can't you do it?"

"I could, but I feel you'd be more suited to the role, given your fabulously handsome face.

Lincoln sighed. "You're not going to let up, are you?"

Lola shook her head.

The white-haired man rubbed his temples. "Ok, fuck it. Show me what I'm working with."

Lola smiled and pranced to the closet. She got out a shoebox and brought it to him... When she opened the lid, Lincoln did not appreciate the contents as much as the blonde woman.

The art of the comics was less refined than his current work. The white-haired man could spot many mistakes he'd make before he started working professionally-from basic proportions, to coloring.

The self-made series was titled. "Ace Savvy' next generation."

"They're fantastic." Lola smiled broadly.

"That is certainly an opinion," Lincoln responded. "Which one should I read?"

Lola took out one featuring Ace Savvy, the Royal flush, and a small blonde girl in a blue and red spandex suit battling Toxic Shark, an eco-terrorist who controls marine life, and one of ace-Savvy's signature villains.

"Whose the little blonde?" he asked.

"That's Underdog; she's the daughter of Ace Savvy and the Royal flush. She could communicate with any animal she wants."

Lincoln frowned. The immediate problem that stood out to him was that he based the Royal flush off of his sister Lana. The concept of his version of Ace Savvy, and the wrench wielding doing it felt gross. He never took commissions to draw Ace doing it with any member of the full house gang, no matter how much money was offered.

"I'm guessing the girl's based off of Lizy?"

Lola smiled brightly and nodded. "Yep, Lincy made a whole of new characters based on our darlings; he calls them 'the Family Pot'"

The two Louds went over to Lizy's and Leia's room. Lizy curled in her dinosaur pajamas curled up to Leia in the girl's pink sheeted bed.

Lincoln started reading as Lola rolled up against her daughter. Leia gently caressed Lizy's face.

"'Har, Savvy you can't stop me.'"

"That's not how you read it," Leia interjected with slight irritation.

"It is a rather poor reading," Lola noted

"I didn't finish the first line," Lincoln said defensively.

"Put some emotion into it. Some real soul." Lola commanded.

"Har, Savvy, you can't stop me!" he said much more dramatically.

Lola and Leia nodded for him to continue.

The two did pepper in even more unwanted comments throughout the reading. Lincoln personally was not a fan of the ending. Toxic Shark was a violent-morally grey extremist who'd destroy society to save the ocean. The blue-skinned villain would not turn into a good guy just because a little girl promised to be his friend and start a recycling campaign. Lincoln knew the comic was little more than fanfiction, but one should have respect for the source material.

Still, Lizy seemed to like it. "Can you come here, please."

Lincoln walked towards her side of the small girl gestured for him to lean down.

When he did, the small girl kissed his cheek and hugged him. "Thank you. I feel better now," she said. Lincoln's eyes darted to Lola, who was just smiling. The white-haired man then looked to Leia, who looked at the display with curiosity. He awkwardly returned the hug.

"Don't mention it. I have to say it was pretty fun. That Underdog is pretty awesome."

Lizy let him go and giggled. "Daddy says she's supposed to be like me." the small girl said excitedly.

Lincoln shrugged. "Well, that does seem to check out, but I have to say you're much cooler."

Lizy giggled again. She turned to her aunt. "Mama Lola, I like him. I know he's not Daddy, but he's nice. Can he stay when we get Daddy back?"

Lincoln did not know how to respond to that. The girl clearly didn't yet understand the gravity of the situation,despite Lisa's clear declaration and Lincoln didn't know if she should just yet.

Lola shook her head. "I'm sorry, sweetie, but he has his own family that misses him."

Lizy looked saddened. "Oh." she then put a hand on Lincoln's shoulder. "Well, you could come back any time you want."

The white-haired man chuckled. "That's a very generous offer. Thanks."

The small girl yawned and laid against her big sister and shut her eyes.

The two adults made their way out of the room.

"I thought Lizy was Lana's daughter," Lincoln said after shutting the little girl's bedroom door.

Lola took on a thoughtful expression, "Lana gave birth to her, but she's also my and sisters' daughter."

"Huh?"

"We raise our kids together. Most of us see ourselves as mothers to all the children. That's the pact we made with each other- only Lizy and Lulu calls my sisters and me mama, though.

"Pact?"

"Have you ever wondered how my parents reacted to our love?" Lola asked.

"A little." Lincoln, however, didn't try to sate his curiosity out of fear of discovering even more incest. Did the Rita and Lynn Sr from this world molest their kids?

He knew the people aren't his parents-but it'd feel wrong knowing any version of his parents would be doing something like this.

"Well, they didn't react well. They cut off all my sisters and me except Lily. Some of my sisters were juggling college and raising their kids, too. Luna was in rehab. They hated us."

"What about your brother? Didn't he help out?"

Lola laughed bitterly. "Dear old mom and dad said they'd call the police if he didn't get as far away from us as possible. This is, of course, before they threw me out just because I refused to get an abortion. When Lana stood up for me and said, she'd go where I went the self-righteous hypocrites said she could fuck off too.."

She sneered. "We were 16-years old, homeless, and I was 3-months pregnant at the time. Our lives were hell, and I hope that's where the fuckers are now."

"Lincoln frowned. "They're dead?" They were not his parents, but still, such an idea disturbed him.

"They got mugged and killed by some coked-out junkie on their way out of a movie." Lola giggled as if recounting the funniest joke in the world."

She then stopped, getting a sad look. "They hadn't changed their will, so we got the house and all their other assets. Lincoln got called and came back. And each of us vowed never to treat any of the kids as anything less than our own. We'd be there for each other."

"You said most of you see yourselves as mothers to the kids," Lincoln noted.

Lola's face scrunched. "Lynn doesn't like Lulu-thinks. She's an abomination."

Lincoln licked his lips. "Well, she's right about that, ain't she?"

The blond woman's eyes narrowed. "The girl is a sweetie. I won't hear her be bad mouthed." she threatened.

Lincoln held up his hands. "I don't want to start a fight, but you have to admit she's a little strange."

"I prefer to think gifted." Lola countered with a hint of hostility creeping into her voice.

The white-haired man decided that pushing this would be pointless. "Sure, that's a better word."

Lola nodded, accepting his truce.

"Well, I'm going to hit the hay if you need anything else..."

Lincoln turned to walk back his bedroom but stopped feeling a hand on his shoulder.

"Lincoln, I do appreciate your help tonight. I know you don't feel comfortable around us, so thank you."

"You didn't give me much choice, but I guess your welcome," he grumbled.

"You hate my sisters and me." the woman stated apropos of nothing.

Lincoln considered what would sound the most convincing. He decided on the truth

"Yeah."

"Do you fear us?" Lola then asked.

"Yes," he answered calmly. The woman and her sisters were predators. They may have started as victims, but he couldn't forget that.

The former beauty-queen smiled. "Well, that's good enough for now."

* * *

A/N You could ignore all of this of course

A few more thoughts:

Jeff: not the first person to make some commentary on that: please see Sin Kids showdown.

I do feel theres a little more reason to why Lincoln is allowed to be a horn-dog, allowed to fuck multiple people-especially other women outside the family than pure sexism. I still see that as a part-but there's also another part.

Which is vicoursly living through this normal, dorky guy who loads of beautiful women want to ride like rodeo, and only him. He doesn't even have to choose one-they're so infautuated with the guy, that they don't even mind. Having the sisters, or other hot single babes, interested in another guy outside, kinda hurts the experience of living through this guy. Because then he's not as special. His sons may get to fuck the women/girls in the family, but it's not threatening-after all Lincoln is still the original.


	6. Napping, Movies, and Guns

Lincoln starred at the ceiling wide-eyed awake in his bedroom. He tried smoking, but the nicotine effects weren't doing their usual magic. Its' been over a week in and still not a word of progress. Lincoln tried remembering Lola's advice in terms of pretending to care about how Lisa was doing beyond the fact he needed her to get him home. Ever since the encounter about her lack of eating, he even brought the woman her food, wherein he'd ask her on her progress on getting him the hell home. The white-haired man then tried to play it cool and said he knew she could get him back home, wherein the cold woman would always reply she didn't know if she could. Lincoln wished the genius could play along. He wasn't exactly confident in the woman's abilities either, but she was one of his best shots. Hearing that she coukd bring him back-even if it was a lie-would've been enough.

The white-haired man heard a purring sound and felt something nestle against his chest.

Lulu peered up to him with a smile. "Dada!"

"Bill Buck." the white-haired responded while pointing to himself

The white-haired man stopped seriously trying to correct the small mutant.

It'd be an exercise in futility.

No matter what he said, the girl would call him dada.

So why not try to convince her he was someone better than himself? It'd end in the same result.

Lulu had continuously snuck in his room these last couple of days. Lisa said she updated her level of confinement. Still, Lulu followed her mother's example and played by her own rules.

Instead of panicking as he had done three times before this, he instead gently patted the girl on the head, got up, and walked towards the basement to return the babe to her mother.

When the white-haired man opened the door, however, he was greeted by the sounds of two people moaning quite passionately.

"I'm about to achieve orgasm. Street word, I'm cu_."

Lincoln quietly shut the door before he could hear anything more that would rock his psyche.

He looked to Lulu. "You're lucky; you're too young to have understood that." he chuckled awkwardly. Despite his laughter, Lincoln was thoroughly horrified by what he just heard. When he got home, he'd need to see a psychologist about this shit.

Or he could get a case of beer and try to drink until he couldn't remember this shit. Whichever way was cheaper. Or readily available, So probably beer.

Hell Lincoln could probably use a beer right now. It may be 2:00 a.m. here, but its' gotta be drinking time somewhere in this fucked up world, right?

He went towards the fridge. He set Lulu down on the counter as he fished out a can.

He opened it and gave a quick chug.

Lincoln looked back and saw Lemy walking in the kitchen

The two starred at the moment. "Um, hey," Lincoln said while waving a hand.

"Sup." the boy responded deadpan.

"Pretty late to be up, huh?" the white-haired man inquired

Lincoln wondered what triggered him to continue this awkward conversation.

The boy shrugged. "I had some trouble sleeping." He looked towards his sister. "Lulu's supposed to be in her crib-cell." the boy noted without emotion. He was stating a fact as one might say the sky is blue.

Lincoln nodded. "Well yeah, that's why I was bringing her back to her mama, but Lisa's with Lola_."

The white-haired man stopped himself having realized how inappropriate it'd be to recount what he heard. "Lisa's with Lola doing grownup stuff, so I didn't want to bother her." he rushed out.

The wild-haired boy quirked an eyebrow. "You mean they're fucking?" he asked casually.

"I-uh, I guess I um." Lincoln did not know how to respond to the boy's statement. He decided the least awkward thing would be to give the truth. "Yeah, they were...doing what you just said."

The white-haired immediately realized that the least awkward way to respond would have been to walk out of the room silently.

Lemy nodded. The boy went over to the fridge. Lincoln scooted out of the way as the boy grabbed a Capri sun.

The boy drunk his drink silently.

The white-haired man chose this moment to make his escape. He picked up Lulu and made his started his way back to the bedroom before Lemy stopped him.

"I think it's wrong too."

The white-haired man turned back and saw Lemy rubbing his neck and looking distressed. "What my aunts and dad are doing, I mean. Families shouldn't do stuff like this. It's wrong."

Lincoln frowned and walked towards the boy. "Are you ok kid?"

Lemy put on a smile that looked strained. "Yeah, I just needed to tell someone that. "

The white-haired thought there was something more but decided it'd be a bad idea to press. Still...

"Um, kid, if you need someone to talk to, I am probably the worst person you could possibly go to, but I'm mostly free." he offered.

"Thanks." the boy responded while giving a smile that seemed a little less strained.

Lincoln returned to the bedroom, laid Lulu down on the bed, and sat beside her.

"So, what could I do with you?" he inquired as to if expecting much of a coherent response.

The girl just yawned and crawled over and got back onto him. It felt nice.

He put an arm around her small form and laid down.

"Let's try not making this a regular thing, huh," he said, knowing the little mutant had already fallen asleep. He closed his eyes and found himself following suit.

* * *

"Oh, this is always so adorbs." Lincoln heard Lola squeak out. The white-haired man opened his eyes and saw Lola with her phone out.

"What're you doing," he grumbled out a little vexed at having been so loudly woken up. He rubbed his eyes.

"Bah," Lulu said, seeming to have decided to follow his lead she even rubbed her eyes in the manner Lincoln did.

"Taking a picture. Pictures with my Lincy and a baby are always the cutest!" she said, still smiling.

Lincon frowned. "I'm not_."

"Yes, yes, you're not my Lincy. You're still as handsome as him, though, so moments like this must be captured." the diva haughtily said before she snapped another photo. "

The woman then put away her phone and walked over to the pair.

She held out her hands.

Lincoln wondered what she wanted.

Lola giggled. "Give me little Lu. You need to get washed up. Breakfast is in twenty minutes, and I find it so much more pleasurable to eat around others when everyone has properly groomed themselves."

Lincoln gave the small mutant over to Lola. He patted her head one last time, which elicited a slight purring sound from the girl.

Before making it out the door, Lola turned back.

"Also, if you wouldn't mind, Loan needs someone to take her to the movies after breakfast."

"Can't you do that?"

"I would, but the Yates booked me a couple of hours to come over and make a reverse icy Oreo."

Lincoln frowned. "I-I don't want to know what that is."

The diva got a wicked grin. "Well, it's when_."

Lincoln immediately threw a pillow over his head. "I said I don't want to know.I'll take the girl just please spare me." His ears had suffered enough for Savvy's sake!

The blond woman snickered at Lincoln totally reasonable response. "All right, I'll show you mercy." she then winked "For now. But sincerely, thank you for this the girl has been dying to see that new Ace Savvy v Crimson Chin movie."

Lincoln dropped the pillow. He had forgotten entirely about the new movie coming out.

Lincoln felt he slightly failed dork kind.

Given all that had happened to him lately, he could give himself a little slack, but still, a true Savvy fan should not forget something like this.

The first Crimson Chin v Ace Savvy movie was such a crime Hitler would say its' inhumane.

But there was a chance that this movie could redeem its' predecessors failings. If so, it'd arguably be the most significant accomplishment in human history, and Lincoln needed to be one of the first ones to witness it.

"I'll pick her up when she's done_." Lola began before Lincoln cut her off.

"You know I'll probably stick around to see the movie for myself." he interrupted quickly.

Lola smiled.

* * *

"Thank you for taking me to the movie's Mr. Loud. Or is that too confusing because I'm a Loud too? Should I just call you Mr. Lincoln!?" Loan tittered as the two Louds got into Vanzilla. Lincoln started the old machine, and surprisingly it started on its' first try. The white-haired man took that as a good omen.

"Don't need to call me Mister anything, kid. Lincoln was good enough for my folks, so it's' good enough for anyone." the white-haired man replied.

He began their trek to either see something that could help reinvigorate his faith that a BC cinematic universe is a good thing.

Or reaffirm his pessimism.

The girl beside him started playing on her phone almost immediately.

Lincoln couldn't help, but think her crouched down figure over the thing, made the girl look just a bit more like Lori.

Prompting Lincoln to focus more on the road.

As the two Louds arrived at the movie theatre, Lincoln saw a long line. It was predictable, but still an irksome sight to behold.

Lincoln and Loan got into the line and waited for their entry. Loan was still deeply invested in her phone. Lincoln decided to follow her lead and get out his own and play on his Ace Savvy game but stopped when he caught sight of someone. He was chiseled, dark, and next to a curly-haired boy with glasses. Lincoln nearly dropped his phone at the sight of the man. He went up to the other man to make sure he wasn't playing tricks on him. "Clyde?" the white-haired man whispered.

The man greeted him with a friendly smile. "Hey, Lincoln, how are you, man?"

Lincoln's gut reaction was to say, 'I've been transported to another universe and enslaved by some weird incestuous sex-cult. My life is terrible, please help me.'

"Not too bad." he instead responded weakly.

This wasn't his really Lincoln's friend. He still felt mild excitement, but also for that matter, fear at meeting his friend's counterpart. In this batshit crazy world, the Loud family had descended into a gang of pedophilic rapists. What if this universe' version of his best friend was even worse? But what if he wasn't?

Lincoln could use a friend. He wanted a friend.

"I'm taking Loan to see Ace Savvy v Crimson Chin II: Dawn of Vengeance." he blurted out finally.

Clyde smiled. "That's cool. Connor and I are here to see that new Crash-Nebula movie."

"Crash Nebula III: Wrath of the Galatic Moths." Connor put in.

"Oh." That kinda hurt. The white-haired man's old friend was still a pretty big Savvy even though he lost interest in helping Lincoln make comics the two's love for the Card-wielding detective.

"That's cool."

He remained silent until he got into the theatre wherein he stopped Loan before entering t auditorium.

"What am I to Clyde in this universe." Lincoln gritted his teeth at a slip of the tongue. "I mean what your dad is to him, I mean."

Loan gave a thoughtful expression then shrugged. "I've never seen them hang out, but he brings over Connor to play with Liby they're pretty friendly."

"Connor is his son?" Lincoln asked.

Loan shook her head. "Foster son. Though Liby says Clyde and his wife are looking into adopting him and his sister."

So they were aquantinces at best.

He wasn't his friend. The guy was just a stranger who looked like Lincoln's friend. Still, it hurt. For just a moment, it felt like he could have something that resembled his normal life.

"I'm sorry." Loan said as if she was at fault for something

Lincoln frowned. "For what?"

The teen looked down and clicked her forefingers together.

"I-uh made you feel sad," she said timidly. "So I'm sorry.?," she half stated and asked.

Lincoln shrugged. "Eh, reality made me sad, girl. That's why I'm here to forget about it for 120 minutes." he pointed to her. "You didn't do anything wrong. So don't apologize."

He offered what he hoped was a reassuring smile

The girl timidly nodded and smiled back.

* * *

Lincoln was utterly furious. Somehow the bastards had made everything worse. Ace resumed being a fucking psychopathic killer. The man literally blew up a hospital to kill some criminals. Admittedly the hospital didn't have any civilians, but still, Ace Savvy does not kill or blow up hospitals!

The ultimate villains turned out to have been jealous one-eyed-jack and Cleft the boy Chin wonder for their supposed jealously of their mentors. Worse, rematch, which should have shown Savvy as the superior superhero, ended in a draw, settled by Catman(who did nothing else the entire movie) coming in, shouting a phrase that released the Crimson-Chin of his brainwashing.

"The people who made that-that shlock should go to jail for the crime of assaulting my brain with their stupidity. " Loan hissed out as they got into Vanzilla.

Lincoln clapped his hands in agreement.

"Preach. These Hollywood bozos don't really care about art. The lore. The love that's behind the thing that inspired their flicks. They just want a quick buck. It was just commercial for their next shit-flick." which Lincoln because of identity as a dork is tragically compelled to see.

Loan nodded vigorously. "Right, as if the Crimson Chin wouldn't whoop Savvy's card-carrying ass."

Lincoln nodded. "Yeah, the_." he stopped himself, and his eyes darted towards the girl. " Did you just say Ace Savvy, the world's most brilliant badass, supergenius would lose in a fight with the Red-spandex wearing idiot?"

Loan stared back at him intently. "I said emo-boy would get his ass whooped by the Chin."

The white-haired man chuckled bitterly. Challenge accepted girl.

"Ace Savvy is the world's most excellent investigator, a super genius, and an expert in every martial art. After witnessing his parents being murdered in his father's casino, he trained over the course a decade, honing his skills and mind. Chiny-Chin got bit by a celebrity. "

Loan smacked her leg and barked out a laugh. " Yeah, and in a head to head matchup, he'd lose."

"Ace Savvy given a week could find a way to kill a thousand Chins." he pointed out firmly.

"Give the Chin a second he could obliterate a million rich emos-oh I mean Savvys.

"Also, he always keeps a handle of Chinonite close by, in case the red-boy scout goes crazy."

Loan scoffed. "Please, you might as well then say I could beat a prized boxer if I shoot him in the gut, and then proceed to punch him when he's down. With meeting face to face with no extra advantage, just being they're typical selves, the Chin logically dominates every time."

Loan took out a small kernel of popcorn. "Imagine this is Savvy, and I'm the Chin. With one simple flick_."

the kernel landed right on his head. "Straight to the moon."

Lincoln gave Loan a menacing look. Loan began to look a little nervous until he burst out laughing.

Dork debates like this were pretty goddamn cathartic.

They were still arguing when they got into the house with them. Though they had diverged into other topics related to geek trivia.

Leia sat on the floor while Lola braided her hair on the couch. Lyle brushed his aunt's long hair with a pink comb. "Now I'm not saying Donkey King would for sure beat Lordzilla, but I am positing he'd at least put up a good fight." Lincoln proclaimed as the two dorks walked into the house.

Loan waved a hand. "Please, Lordzilla, would literally annihilate that monkey almost as quick as Chin would do Savvy."

Lincoln threw up his hand in exasperation.

"May I add some thoughts on this critically important debate." Lola asked while still braiding Leia hair.

"Yeah sure, tell her that I'm right," Lincoln said, pointing to Loan.

Loan pointed right back at him. "Don't tell her what to say! Besides, she definitely thinks I'm right."

Lola pointed to both of them. "I think both of you wouldn't be having this conversation if you had a had a girlfriend or boyfriend," she said nonchalantly. Leia and Lyle snickered at the takedown.

Loan turned redder than a tomato. Lincoln just scoffed at her.

"Come on, Loan, let's continue our fascinating discussion elsewhere. The living room, for now, has a toxic, anti-nerd atmosphere."

Lincoln started walking to his room. Loan followed him trying(and for the most failing) to mimic his confident stride out the room.

"Give me the keys, I need to take Leia somewhere!" Lola hollered,

Lincoln them at her without turning around like a badass.

* * *

Lola caught the keys, and as she watched the two Loud dorks depart, she could not help but smile.

"Mommy, are you ready to go now?" Lola's princess asked.

The former beauty-queen nodded, and got up.

She looked at herself in the mirror checking her hair.

Lola shot Lyle two thumbs up. "Thanks, my little Prince."

Lyle smiled back to her.

The mother-daughter headed out to the shooting range they attended at their local gunshop. Jill's shot and fill, was lovely, and even comparably cheap establishment.

The old black woman greeted the pair with a smile.

"Lola, Leia, the usual I take it?"

Lola smiled back. "Yep."

The former beauty queen handed the old woman $15 for an hour and another $20 for some ammo for her Smith and Wessen.

The old woman handed the two ear-muffs and goggles.

When the two were brought to their shooting booth, where'd, they'd be firing. Lola went first.

She was pleased with her results. She then handed her pistol to Leia, stepped back, and watched her princess work her magic.

Teaching Leia how to properly use firearms was something Lola and Lincoln actually fought quite a bit over. He believed Leia was too young to wield a gun and had inherited their parents' bias against them-in that he prefered no one have them. He even suggested calling a sibling meeting to discuss the decision; whenever two members of the Louds disagreed about the care of one their kids, a meeting and vote could be held as what should be done. Rarely was this ever utilized because the siblings typically trust the other completely.

It kinda hurt Lola that Lincoln would even ponder it.

Lola considered her view on firearms to be nuanced. Guns were dangerous to be sure, but any tool could be hazardous if misused. Lola wanted Leia to grow to be strong, someone not afraid of handling something powerful, someone who could when no one is backing her up, stands up for herself. The former beauty-Queen wished she could protect her little girl from all the bad stuff in the world forever-but she couldn't.

Her Lincy although her knight, couldn't always be there for their girl.

Lola also pointed out Lincoln let Lyra, and Lemy go out on hunting trips with Sam and her wife and adopted daughter sometimes. And that Lynn signed up Lacy for shooting sports. Lincoln insisted it was different, He pointed out each of them was older. And that had all happened before the reunification. The hunting tradition had happened before the Louds when Sam was entrusted by Luna to care for the kids while Luna was in jail for drunk driving. Lola countered that Leia was far more mature than most 7-year olds,

Her white-haired lover very reluctantly agreed to let Leia be taken to the shooting range for a sort of test. He had the stipulation of if the girl gets too scared, or that he saw her about to hurt herself, he'd call the whole thing off. Leia proved to be; naturally, gifted-as Lola expected her little princess would and said she'd like to come back. Lincoln, with great wariness, said she could.

And for every two weeks, these past seven months, Lola had picked up her princess to take her to the shooting range.

Lincoln always lectured Lola that she needed to be watchful of their girl. Lola loved her brother-he was a piece of her heart. Still, the fact he thought he needed to remind Lola about gun-safety even when he has never owned or even held a gun in his life, was insufferable.

At the end of Lola's turn, the target was brought to them. The girl's score was better than Lola's own.

Lola was proud.

After the two's time limit was up, the two went back to their old Van to go home.

"Why did you lie?" Leia asked as Lola before the diva could start the vehicle.

"About what?" Lola asked calmly.

"About going to see the Yates. You were in the house all day before Lincoln and Loan came back. "

"And how would you know that?" the former beauty inquired.

" I was outside the door this morning. Lyra told me to wake Lincoln, but when I heard you two talking, I just stayed and listened.

"You were snooping."

"Yes."

"Good girl!"

Leia smiled, then got a serious look. "So why did you lie?"

Lola rubbed her chin. "Well, you tell me. Explain my possible reasoning for lying." the woman demanded. Lola often tested Leia to help make sure her mind was sharp.

Her princess licked her lips then took a couple seconds to think. "You wanted the two to bond."

Lola smiled. "Why?" she pressed her princess.

"He's uncomfortable around us. He ignorantly believes our family is abominable. Having him have emotional connections to some of us helps ensure that he won't try to destroy us."

Lola tapped her chin. "But why couldn't I just say pull a gun on him, put it in his mouth, and threaten to kill him if he even thinks about snitching. " Lola simply asked.

Leia shook her head.

"Too traumatic. It's important to have a proper level of fear from Lincoln, of course. But doing something so blatant could make him act irrationally and attempt to run away. The idea of you possibly doing him harm would suddenly seem like an invertibility. And we need him to get Daddy back and to keep Daddy's job. Even if he were to not run away or call the authorities such stress could push him to develop more troubling behaviors which could make his ability to fill Daddy's role even less adequate." Leia explained.

"Couldn't I just have told him to take Loan to the movies?"

"No, he has to think he made the decision to ultimately watch the movie himself. He gets to feel a degree of independence and there's less feeling of compulsion to talk and thus bond with Loan."

Lola clapped her hand and smiled. "Well, that explains most of it, Leia. Though there's a part you missed. Could you guess what that is?"

Leia took a few more moments to think. Then shrugged her shoulders.

"I thought the guy would like it. A person shouldn't stay cooped up anywhere too long, and short of work, and eating, I've hardly seen the man outside of your Daddy' bedroom. It's unhealthy. Going to see a movie would be suitable for him. He deserves a break, given what he's been through this last week. And Loan could prove an adequate friend for him. People aren't just tools. Remember that even when you're using them."

Lola turned the key to start Vanzilla.

"What's a reverse icy Oreo?" her seven old asked as the van roared to life, practically giving the blond woman a heart attack.

Lola immediately became flustered. "Um, well you see, that is a question, you'll have to ask me when you're older."

"How much older? And why can't I know it now?" Leia asked innocently, "It sounds tasty."

The former beauty queen, "Ok, n-no more questions. L-let just listens to the radio," Lola sputtered out before turning on the radio and cranking the volume as high as it could

* * *

**A/N**

**Edits I accidently kept in aline that was from a storyline, but ultimately decided to drop. **


	7. Coming to Terms

**A/N you can skip this.**

**Ratable. Don't blame ya dude.**

**Three Branch: **** I belive squirrel girl could trounce Galactus. **

**To the guest that who took the issue with the thought of Lola being a sex-worker and that not being worth ridicule-dude, so long things are consensual, and safe it should be seen as ok. If a guy wants his cock sucked and is willing to pay a couple thousand dollars and a woman takes up the offer, I see no issue. No one has been hurt, so no one should feel ashamed.**

**Also, heres another way to look at it; a grown man pines after all his sisters, even the underage ones, even the ones who didn't reach puberty and bangs them all with out any care of using a condoms. In comparison to that it kinda makes Lola sucking dick for money she uses to spend on food to live and supporting her family seems innocuous. **

** Also, intersex people are not simply transgendered, or transsexuals, and a charachterstic for many of them is that they are born with sexually ambigous genatelia.**

* * *

"Now, Lulu, remember the line 'with awesome power, there comes tremendous responsibility.' It's one of Ace Savvy's signature phrases and wholly original. No matter what those Savvy-haters at marvel think" Lincoln lectured the young mutant who snuggled against his chest as they finished watching the movie 'Ace Savvy: the caped knight goes up.'

The white-haired man decided after she refused to leave him alone to make it so that she wouldn't use her powers to be bothered to the rest of polite society when she gets older. And who bothered society the least? Super-heroes. Hell, they helped society. The girl had the actual powers to be one. It'd be damn near irresponsible for him not to try to steer her on the right path. And, if he took some small point of satisfaction from it, that was ok too.

Though today he had to seek her out annoyingly enough, He had just finished showing her a marathon of all the Ace-Savvy movies.

He'd invite Loan to join him, but Loan said she was working today-which basically included live streaming herself playing video-games. Nearly all her opinions in regards to Ace Savvy,were wrong but it was fun to explain to her _how_ she was wrong. Lincoln himself never saw the appeal in watching others play games, but he'd be hard-pressed to say the girl wasn't a master after having played with her.

He asked Lemy, but the boy wasn't into comic related stuff. Lincoln was trying to find some way to thank the kid for the Smooch concert tickets he gave him.

"yah, dada," Lulu said with a grave nod.

"No, Lord-president Ace Savvy," Lincoln responded with a raised a finger.

"Now tell me how you'd greet a person hurting the weak"

Lulu raised a tiny fist and pounded her palm. "Bah. Bah!" she said as menacingly as a baby could.

Lincoln nodded. The lessons were sticking.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Lacy popped in with a smile.

"Hey Lincoln, it's a nice day, huh?" the girl said nonchalantly.

"Yeah."

Lacy's smile grew a little. "I thought maybe we could go out and play." she held up her hands. "Obviously, if you're busy, I totally under_."

Lacy kept asking him if he wanted to play with her. Lincoln kept dropping not so subtle-hints on how thoroughly unappealing; unlike her mother with balls, she never caught them. Lincoln began suspecting, the ignorance was an act, but when looked at her smile, that seemed unlikely.

So Lincoln was forced into an ultimatum: bluntly tell her no and possibly hurt her feelings, or say yes and humor the girl.

"Nah, it's fine," Lincoln said. "Let's place catch." Lincoln chose that particular activity because it demanded the least amount of him to do anything. He just threw the ball, and the girl fetched it while he smoked, or drank, or played on his phone.

* * *

Lupa crept towards the basement quieter than a dead mouse being devoured by maggots

Over four weeks passed since Lupa's dad got transported. Lupa found the predicament really amusing the first couple of days. Then decidedly less amusing after the first week. By this point, she thought Luan was funnier than the situation.

The white-haired girl still wasn't worried about him. She wasn't. Lupa was confident Lisa was just milking this. She reassured her siblings whenever the topic was brought up, that was what was happening. The woman was the smartest person on earth, after all.

However, she'd gotten a phone call yesterday. One she'd been dreading for a while about a particular badass she knew, who needed to meet her today. And the girl Lupa was supposed to meet would greet death with a smile on her face. The white-haired girl really thought she could use her dad for backup in facing this badass. Lupa already enlisted the help of her mom, but she'd really prefer it if she had both her parents there for her.

She came to stand right behind the woman as she inputted things on her computer. The smartest woman in the world couldn't detect her presence even after living with the white-haired girl, and growing up with Lupa's mother.

That was funny.

It showed that there were some things, even Lisa couldn't understand.

Maybe how to bring dad back was one of them. If he's alive, that is.

Lupa frowned at that thought. That wasn't funny. Her dad had to be alright, and he had to come back. He was her dad.

Great reasoning there, Eisenstein.

Lupa took out one of her candy cigarettes to help herself drown out those pesky thoughts.

"Sup," Lupa said, finally breaking the silence the science.

"Newton's ghost girl, don't scare me like that!" Lisa commanded after jumping from the chair.

"If I didn't scare people, I wouldn't be me," Lupa responded with a shrug.

Lisa rolled her eyes.

"Hey, listen, I'm going to need Dad back today," Lupa stated. "I know the thought of him having some form of use is a pretty wild idea. But strangely enough, I've found a way."

Lisa frowned. "Lupa, I've been rather transparent that there is a distinct possibility that I am not able to get your father back. And if I can do so, it may take quite a while."

The white-haired girl just smiled. "Uh-huh, sure. Listen, I get what you're pulling here. I know you're just dragging his return out, just to make it seem like it was some Herculean task. But seriously. I could really use him right now."

Her aunt shook her head. "I am not attempting to achieve some visage of grandeur by delaying your father's return. If I could return him at this very moment, I would." Lisa said flatly.

Lupa's smile dropped.

Was her aunt that committed to the act?

Or maybe_. Lupa took a particularly big bite of her candy cigarette to stop that stupid thought. Her aunt was lying. It was as simple as that.

"I need him to help me deal with Abbie," Lupa whispered.

Lisa's gave her a look of pity. Lupa hated it.

"I take it the situation with her is dire?"

Lupa nodded. "I have to see her today, and I need dad. So just get him. Please."

Her aunt just shook her head. "I'm sorry, but_."

"Fuck you." The white-haired screamed before running out of the dark dwellings, not interested in hearing more of Lisa's lies. She slammed the basement door as hard as she could. She was still fuming as she made her way to her bedroom. She chalked up the water in her eyes, is due to some reaction to some weird chemicals Lisa had down there.

Lily was sitting on the couch in the living room watching one of her dumb soap-operas. "Hey, Lu, what's the matter?"

"Lisa's keeping her stupid ruse up even though I need dad back right now," she said. "Abbie's folks called, and she-I-I need to_."

Lupa couldn't finish her sentence. She was too angry. Angry and fucking miserable.

Lily got up and began hugging the girl. It felt really nice.

"We all miss your dad. I do think Lisa has doubts that she could get him back."

Lupa began growling; she opened her mouth to object.

"But I don't." Lily continued "The woman's the smartest person in the world and loves Lincoln with all her heart. She's going to get him back. Eventually."

"But, I need him now." Lupa groaned in frustration. "I need him to model for the piece I need to make for Abbie." and to cradle her just like this after Lupa does see the girl.

"You have an idea of what you want to draw, sweetie?"

"Yeah."

"Well, we do still have a Lincoln." with that sentence, Lupa broke contact with her aunt.

"He's not dad." Lupa hissed out.

Lily held up her hands. "Of course not. I'll even say the guy's a lot more of a prick than your old man too. But he's not a bad dude, and I think he'd help you in this if you asked. I know how much it means to give Abbie something when you see her."

"He hates me." Lupa countered.

Lily shook her head. "You're a child. You annoy him sure, but I don't think he's so pathetic that he'd literally hate you. If you're honest about what you need, I know he'll help you."

Lupa growled once more. Damnit, she'd do it. Goddamn Abbie.

"Where is he?" she said through gritted teeth.

"In the backyard playing with Lacy."

Lupa clenched her fists. Her older sister cozying up to that white-haired idiot was really aggravating. He wasn't dad. Lacy of all people should know this given the first thing he's done for her is give the girl a bloody nose. The girl cried for hours, and irrationally thought maybe she done something wrong. How could she just forget that? Lupa wouldn't. She loved her family. She'd vehemently deny this embarrassing secret if asked about it, but she'd do anything to protect it.

* * *

"Good catch, kid," Lincoln shouted before taking another sip of his beer. It was watered down a little, so he figured it even the scales with the fact that it was barely past noon. Lacy eagerly clamored back to hand him the ball to repeat the process.

"Playing fetch?" a voice piped right beside him, making him drop the ball.

"Savvy's balls!"

"Are probably nice and wet after you sucked on them." Lupa continued.

Lacy came back to them, still wearing a smile that seemed slightly more stretched. "Hey, do you need something, Lupa. We're kinda in the middle of a game here."

The girl took a deep sigh. "I need Lincoln's help."

"Are you hurt? Are any of your siblings hurt?" Lincoln asked promptly

Lupa frowned. "Well, no, but_."

"Is the house going to sustain some great damage if I don't help you right this second?"

"No, but if you'd listen, I just need you to model_."

"But well, no. Lacy and I are playing, so whatever it is you want from me could wait_."

"You're tossing the ball like she's a fucking dog while you get boozed up." the girl interrupted.

Lincoln's eyes narrowed. "And its' comments like those for why Lacy and I are going to keep playing. You can't be a total brat and expect people to drop with their doing just to satisfy for your whims."

The white-haired girl opened her mouth then closed it. Tears started to form around her eyes, and she stormed off back into the house.

Lacy followed her younger sister. She turned back to him and offered him a thumbs and a smile that seemed much more strained.

"Um good game, Lincoln, but I should probably make sure Lu is alright. She's doesn't mean to be mean. That's just how she is. She's a great person. Really." before heading into the house.

Lincoln finished chugging his beer before going back to the house.

"Hey, Lincoln, I'm guessing Lupa didn't politely ask for help?" Lily asked from the couch.

Lincoln just stared at the blonde girl.

Lily sighed. "Yeah, I really should've seen that one coming. I won't tell you not to take offense to Lupa's hostile behavior. That's your right. I'm not going to ask you to like her. But I am going to ask you to help the girl out here."

Lincoln frowned. "The girl's been nothing but a brat to me since I got here. Why should I help here?"

Lily scratched her chin. "I would say bitch, but I see your point. And as to why'd you help, I have to ask, did she tell you what exactly needed your help with?"

Lincoln frowned. "I know its' to model for a painting."

"One of her friends is dying. Today's probably her last day alive, and Lupa wanted to give her to show her a new painting. Um, my brother often poses for them. They're pretty hilarious."

This revelation made Lincoln feel scummy.

Lily seeing the distressed look on his face, quickly waved her hands. "Hey, don't feel bad. You didn't know, and Lupa was a bitch to you, which made you act defensive before she could tell you what truly was the matter. When Lupa gets scared, or sad, or panicked, her first reaction is to be like that. You scare her. You panic her and make her feel sad about her pop not being around and that she's powerless to do anything. Being a dick to you grants her more of a semblance of control. I'm not saying you should be ok with that. I totally understand why you'd be quick to ignore her. But-and I know how cheesy this sounds-but she is a terrific kid. Abbie-the friend that's dying-is one of the terminally ill patients that Lupa shows her work to at the hospital to cheer up."

Lincoln gaped at this. "Lupa, does that sorta thing?"

Lily chuckled. "Yeah, she's sorta embarrassed by it, though. Kinda conflicts with the 'I'm too cool to care about anything' motif she's going for. She even calls the hospital the prison and patients, the inmates."

"I just find it hard to believe you're talking about the same person as well, Lupa."

The pregnant teen shrugged. People are complex. You've interacted with Lupa for about a month, during one of the worst periods of our family's lives. You've seen her worst face. I've known the girl her entire life, and I can confidently say that's not all there is to her."

Lily pointed to him. "I recognize you to be more than a grown man who beats up on little girls-if I was only going by first impressions thats all I should see you as. I don't. You seem like a nice enough guy-despite, you know the constant drinking and smoking."

"I can stop anytime I want," Lincoln responded.

"Said every addict ever." Lily fired back with a smile.

Lincoln opened his mouth to object. Then closed it, then shrugged.

"I know I can't force you to do anything, but it'd be really awesome if you did. this for the tyke." Lily said

Lincoln rubbed his nose. "Jesus Christ, of course, I'll help. I'm not that much of a petty asshole."

Lily then got a scrunched up look like she was debating telling him something. "Hey, I know this a bigger ask, but could you also go with Lupa to the hospital when Lucy comes to pick her up?"

Lincoln's eyes widened. "I-I don't want to intrude, I'm not her dad_."

"You're not. But I do think seeing your face would help Lupa out. She could at least pretend her father's there during a pretty suckish moment in her life." Lily said.

"The girl hates me."

Lily shrugged. "Probably a little, but I know she'd appreciate you being there still. She'd never admit it of course-even on her death bed-but I know she will."

"Alright, I'll ask her if she wants to go with her_."

Lily shook her head. "Ask her if you could come with her. She'll make some snide comment, but this'll be Lupa speak for, please come and thank you."

Lincoln nodded in understanding. He made his way upstairs to talk to the white-haired girl.

At that moment, Lemy came downstairs.

Lily gave a big smile towards the boy, but the boy only nodded to Lincoln and went to the kitchen.

"Is there something the matter there?" Lincoln asked.

Lily gave him a sad smile. "Just Lemy being a little moody. You know how kids can get. It's fine. I know he loves me, so I try not to take offense."

Lincoln merely shrugged his shoulders. Lincoln would admit out of all the sisters that have come by Lily's was the least bad, and the adult Lincoln disliked the least.

Lana came after Lola and swiftly began chugging Lincoln's beers. Lincoln politely asked her to stop, and she suggested they have a drinking contest to decide who'd get custody of the beers. He respectfully declined, and the woman thankfully backed off. Leni was next, and she wouldn't leave him alone. The woman kept offering him hugs, to go shopping with her, and even invited him to the knitting circles she held with Liena and Lyle. It was really uncomfortable.

Lori kept her eye on him but kept her distance. He did learn that the woman was a police officer. Which kinda made Lincoln wonder if she only got into that profession learn how better conceal her and her sibling's crimes. The two hadn't said a word to each other in her visit. He was much more comfortable with that than the previous visits quite frankly.

Lily kept her distance, as well. She talked to him sure, but she didn't try to press him to do anything. She did show him some of the homework for her community college and asked for his help. He did. Being a single-mother would hell enough with only a high school degree to her name.

Lincoln made his trek upstairs and came upon the room, Lupa, Lacy, and Liby shared. Lupa was crying into her sister's lap while the older girl patted her head. The sport's obsessed girl offered him a smile at the sight of him.

"Hey, uh, Lupa, I'm sorry for cutting you off earlier. If you still need me to model, I will.

The white-haired girl rose from her sister's lap to look at him.

"You_." she took a deep breath. "Thank you, Lincoln I'd really appreciate that. If you could wait outside while I gather some somethings, I'll be down shortly. "

Lincoln nodded and proceeded to go outside.

Lupa true to her word did come out shortly after that, carrying a small folding chair and white canvas under one arm, and a bow in an another.

She asked him to give his most heroic pose with the boy. She said it would take about an hour.

Lincoln grimaced at the time frame but figured it was too late to back out now.

And so for an hour, he posed. He took some breaks to relieve some tension in his body, so the experience wasn't as arduous as he thought it'd be.

He asked Lincoln to see her work, and she tepidly handed it over to him.

He didn't look heroic. He looked cartoonishly wimpy; the small bow in his hands shook in his hands as he did battle with million tiny unicorns.

The white-haired man chuckled. "Hey, this is pretty good, kid. In terms of idea and artistry, I mean."

Lupa gawked at him. "You're not mad about it?"

Lincoln waved a dismissive hand. "Hey, if it'll get your friend laughing-which it probably will-you could have drawn me in a purple spotted dress with a big bow licking a lollipop."

Lupa barked out a laugh. "Thanks, Lincoln."

"Lupa, is it ok if I come with you when you thoroughly eviscerate my image in front of a little girl."

The white-haired girl shrugged. "Whatever gets you off, man."

* * *

Lupa mother came to pick them up an hour later in her old mustang to drive them to the hospital.

The three Louds walked into a hospital room that housed a couple of aggrieved parents and Abbie, the seven-year-old girl who was dying of kidney failure. The girl never let her spirits go down. She was always kind and smiling despite the fucked up hand life gave her. In Lupa's eyes, that was what made her such a badass. Anyone could be bitter and a jerk even when shit's alright for them. It takes some massive balls to be as sweet as Abbie's been given what she's been through. Even today, she's still smiling.

"Hello, Mr. Conor and Mrs. Connor." she greeted before turning her eyes to the girl she's been dreading to see. "Hey Abbie." she managed to choke out.

"Hey, Lu, are you here to try and bust me out of this joint?" the small girl asked with a cheeky smile.

Lupa nodded and tried her best to smile back. "Yeah, I orchestrated a massive riot to break out about the lack of good pudding in about an hour, I'll sneak you out then."

Abbie will be dead by then.

Abbie offered a mock groan. "Really, that long?"

Lupa tried to give a nonchalant shrug. "In the meantime, you could entertain yourself with this." Lupa showed her the painting she drew.

Abbie laughed, then coughed and proceeded to laughed again.

She turned to Lincoln. "She did a real number on you, huh Mr. Loud." she said, cackling.

"I've been thoroughly humilated." the white haired man said with a smile.

"Yeah, its' really great. Thinking of selling for like I-I don't know a million dollars. We could use the money to buy passage out of the states after we get you out of here."

Abbie nodded her eyes already drifting off to sleep. "That'd be nice." she whispered.

An hour later, the girl was dead.

Lupa couldn't hold it together and began crying. Her mother began hugging her as the white-haired girl knew she would.

Lincoln joined in too, liked she hoped he would. The white-haired girl knew the guy wasn't dad. But for the moment, it felt good to pretend he was.


	8. Happy Birthday

"You know I'm competing in a boxing tournament in a couple weeks. It's not that important, I mean it's for a local championship, but you know." Lacy casually mentioned as she, Lemy and Lincoln played 'Serpent's time: Crusades' in the living room on the family's G-box 730

She wasn't that into video-games. But when she saw Lemy and Lincoln playing, she thought it'd be nice to join in. She was still trying to get Lincoln to be her friend. And it been a while since she and her little bro did something together.

She chose to play as a Dwarf-small, but tough, just like her and her mom.

The man took a sip from the beer he had on the Couch. "Yep."

Lacy frowned a little. Was she too subtle? "I-I mean its' pretty important. The whole family will be there. Right, Lem?"

Her brother sipped the coke that he had on the Couch before replying. "Yep."

"See, it's pretty important. You could come too if you want. No pressure."

Please come.

"Don't worry, Lace. I'll be there to see you take home the..belt? Trophy? I don't know. I'm sure you'll do great, kid."

He affectionally pounded her shoulder.

Lacy smiled at the praise. She was winning him over day by day.

"I'm heading out, last calls for a Lily hugs." Lacy's aunt said, entering the living room wearing the backpack that held all her stuff. Lacy got up to hug her aunt. The older tern kissed Lacy on the head. Lily went to the Couch and reached over to give Lemy a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Lemy didn't object but didn't return the affection either.

"Hey Linc, want to get in on some of this? You know what they say, a hug from a girl named Lily means good luck."

"That's not a saying." Lincoln pointed out, his eyes still fixated on the game

"Let's make it a saying," Lily replied cheerily, while still grasping her nephew.

Lincoln grunted to that before taking another sip.

Lily frowned. "Kinda early to be drinking, isn't it?" she'd probably say the same thing an hour where Lincoln was on his first can. Lacy got up to fetch him his second. She thought that it may be a little too much, but she didn't want to be a buzzkill, so she didn't say anything. The three of them were having fun.

Why ruin it?

Lincoln just chuckled. Lacy chuckled too.

She didn't know what was funny.

"Yeah, probably." before taking another sip.

Lily got a look of concern. "Just saying to take it easy, man."

"Don't worry. I'm fine," he said while waving a dismissive hand.

Lily still looked hesitant. "But_."

"He said he's fine," Lemy said curtly. "Just let it go. We're having fun. Right, Lace?"

"Right." She said, wearing a big smile.

Lily didn't press. She squeezed Lemy's shoulder one last time befroe she left.

ALincoln took one final chug of his beer.

Lincoln frowned as he prepared to get up. Lacy got up instead. "I'll get it, Lincoln."

The white-haired man smiled. "Thanks."

* * *

Luna sat in the circle in the small circle of her AA support group. The meetings were held in the break room of the Royal woods community center. Posters lined the white cracked white walls, a lot of them featuring mottos that were supposed to be uplifting. The group had finished reading over the 12-steps, and 12-traditions and asked to share.

Luna's road to recovery didn't start at what many may was the worst period of her life, meaning her time in the big house.

She actually got more drunk more during that period. It was surprisingly easy. The drinks(often being brewed from her own toilet) were disgusting, but also made her forget how disgusting the food, her fellow inmates( especially those who sexually assaulted her), the guards(one of whom also once sexually assaulted her), the jail, and her life was too. Sometimes if she fucked or sucked a guard off, he'd smuggle in something for her. Even after she got stabbed, during a fight where she was liquored up so much, Luna was surprised she didn't leak gasoline instead of blood, she went right back to drinking.

When she got out, Sam was the one to pick her up.

The blonde woman didn't say a word. Sam drove the two to a diner where she made her ultimatum-go to these sorts of meetings, and see the therapist Sam was paying for out of her own pocket, and live with Sam on the farm or Luna couldn't stay with Sam and her wife, and that Sam would fight tooth and nail to keep Lyra and Lemy in her care.

Luna was tempted to curse her old friend and say she would be taking back her kids anyway until Sam showed Luna a picture. The picture had a ten-year-old Lyra, Sam, Sam's wife Christina, and Lemy all smiling over the carcass of a deer with an arrow sticking out. Lyra held a bow, and she was sporting the biggest grin Luna had seen in years. Lemy was smiling too. Her children were happier with Sam than they ever were with Luna.

Luna had considered taking her children away from that because her best friend was trying to save her life.

That was Luna's bottom.

Sam gave Luna some pills to help her with the withdrawal and booked her a couple days at a hotel to detox. The pills helped, but going through detox was still one of the hardest things Luna ever went through. There were times she thought she'd die. There were times she wanted to.

She managed to get through it, though.

That was the first step in her journey, but she's managed to not stray from the right path. By the end of her first year, she moved out of the farm and took her kids to live at her family home. Luna said she wanted her kids to grow up in a big family like Luna had. The ex-rocker didn't reveal the incest parts. Luna loved Sam, but couldn't risk her misinterpreting things like her parents did.

Her parents had died never understanding what Luna and her siblings were doing was them just expressing their love. The thought that they died hating her and her siblings hurt. Luna did try to reconcile with her folks. She didn't regret shacking up with Lincoln-her kids were her pride and joy-but she knew she hurt her parents, and wanted to make amends with them, and very much wanted to forgive them for the pain they caused her. She once reached out to them on Gobook, and in response, they threatened to call the cops.

Luna was thankful for having someone like Sam in her life.

Luna was also thankful she'd become pregnant with Lyra after the breakup. Luna suspected Sam would have forgiven her, but maybe not. Them breaking up wasn't because the two found each other's company unbearable. Sam was and still is one of the coolest chicks Luna has ever met and her best friend. They just worked better as friends.

When Luna got arrested for assaulting an officer that was sent to shut down a party, Lua found herself liquored up at she called her old friend instead of her sisters for a straightforward fact; Sam was better equipped to handle the load. Most of her sisters were dirt poor, her youngest sisters Lisa and Lily lived at home with the rents.

Sam had loads of money from her farm, and a great wife to help her. It was a big ask, but her friend pulled through for her, and then some. The woman also turned Lyra way more religious. Sam was a priest, so it wasn't that surprising.

The ex-rocker didn't have an issue with it, of course.

Luna wasn't an atheist or whatever.

She guessed she believed in Jesus and God and a lot of that jazz, but it just didn't seem ultra-important to her. The higher power she chose to invest in was humanity as a whole-in its ability to be rocking.

Luna finally stood up to talk.

"Sup dudes. Name's Luna. I'm an alcoholic."

"Hi Luna," the group responded back.

"You know its lately' been a pretty bum deal. Many of you know an important person to me has gone missing. I still don't know if that important someone is coming back. Don't know if he's hurt, or a-alive. I know I'm vague, but the situation still kinda calls for it. The morning he went missing, I-I nearly went out. I was supposed to come to a meeting, but instead, I stopped by a drug-store and picked up a bud-light. I opened it in the car and just sat there, knowing if I took a sip, I would make things so much more of a fucking disaster that I'd become a cock-up. But I couldn't dump it out. I was like in limbo. I only snapped back to reality because I got a text from Stacey with one phrase: one phrase that' I always found cheesy. 'Meeting makers make it," Luna pointed to the short, brown-haired woman, and her sponsor during these last couple of years. "Thanks again for that, mate. I tossed the can right out the window and sped like hell to get here. Today's my fifth birthday. 1825 days of staying sober." at this group applauded. Luna got a little teary-eyed. It wasn't the first time she's cried at these meetings. Luna knew it wouldn't be the last time either

"That important someone's still missing, but I know I'm going to try to keep being sober. I know he'd want me to make it."

The group clapped as she sat. A couple other people talked, about their own difficulties, not falling into the trap she barely escaped from, and she saw many people die from. Luna listened intently and showed the appropriate level of support. She asked a few questions to the new newcomers who decided to speak, offered some advice where she thought she had something that could help.

After the meeting came to an end, Luna's sponsee came over to her and gave her a big hug. Luna gently patted Annie on the back and chuckled.

"Luna, you're awesome." the young woman said with total adoration in her voice. "I've been praying that important someone comes home to you."

"Thanks, brah." The ex-rocker said.

Annie's hold kinda lingered, so Luna had to gently detach herself from the girl.

Annie gave a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry, didn't mean to be clingy."

"It's cool, no need to fret."

Luna knew Annie had a crush on her-a a crush that Luna did not reciprocate.

It wasn't because the girl was ugly. Far from it.

The girl was slight, blond, with a round tight looking bum, and nice sized rack.

Or because they didn't have stuff in common. They both loved rock, for instance, it's lore, as well as its fundamentals.

Its just Luna could not if she tried to see Annie as a potential Romantic interest, or a possible sexual conquest

When many people saw Annie, they'd see a beautiful piece of ass, they could easily pick up.

Hell, if Luna met the girl outside of AA, she'd fuck Annie, long and hard, if the girl showed interest.

But Luna had rules: not fucking a sponsee was one of them. People who come to AA need serious help in dealing with their disease. They're in an emotionally vulnerable position, especially the women. Luna would exploit them just to get herself off as soon as she'd say Mick Swagger wasn't the greatest star in the universe-so basically never.

Sexual-harassment was generally clamped down in Luna's particular support group. Still, she's heard stories of sponsors using their authority to pressure insecure women like Annie into boning them. Luna found the idea sickening. AA was supposed to be a safe place. A place of healing.

Annie already had a history of sexual abuse. Annie got molested by her parents before she hit puberty, which leads her to couch a lot of her self-worth towards her ability to give sex.

Luna wouldn't exploit that. Luna couldn't use that. Annie needed help, and it was Luna's job as a sponsor to give it to her. Learning more and more about her made Luna see her more like one of her kids than anything. She was actually only a couple years older than Lyra.

"Do you have any plans to celebrate? " Annie asked.

Luna shook her head. "Just gonna have a party with my fam and Sam's family. Like I usually do for my birthday."

It's good to remember why you quit drinking. It gives you more reason to not start.

* * *

Luna arrived at the house to pick up her kids at around 4 p.m. She saw Lincoln smoking while playing with Lacy and Lemy on a game. She frowned at the sight. Some of her sisters all expressed some form of concern with the white-haired man's habits. Lana had taken two beers from his pack, and he got angry about it.

It sounded like Lincoln had the disease.

She'd talk to him after her dinner with Sam's family.

Lemy, having noticed her presence smiled. "Happy birthday, mom."

"Happy birthday, aunt Luna! You're an inspiration." Lacy declared, giving Luna a thumbs up.

Lincoln quirked an eyebrow. "Luna's birthday is in August. Right? Least it was in my world."

Luna nodded. "August 31st for me too, dude. 'Birthday' can refer to how long a person's been sober in AA. Today's my fifth."

"Hmm," Lincoln responded.

Lyra came down soon after, walked straight up to Luna, and gave her a hug. "Happy birthday, mom. I'm proud of you." Lyra said with adoration. Lyra had been old enough to remember when Luna was at her worst. The ex-rocker was so thankful her daughter has forgiven her.

Lemy got up from the Couch. He softly punched Lacy's shoulder and fist-bumped Lincoln. "Gotta hang with mom. Kill as many dragons you could while I'm out." her boy said.

"We got this. Right, Lace?"

"Right!" the girl said excitedly

The ex-rocker felt conflicted seeing that. It was nice to see Lemy open up to someone. Lately, he's been rather glum. He's been a lot more withdrawn. But She wasn't sure if Lincoln would be a positive influence.

* * *

When Luna and her kids arrived at Sam's house, it was their daughter Martha who opened the door. The girl looked like a miniature version of her friend, though just a tad darker, with the same toothy smile. Christina's brother had been cool enough to play the donor. The small girl immediately hugged Luna.

"Moms, they're here." the girl hollered out to the house.

"Ah, my day was going so well. Tell them to go away." Sam responded to a whiff of humor in her voice.

"Sam." her friend's wife groaned rather loudly.

"Fine, I guess they can come in," Sam said.

Martha let go of Luna and hugged Lemy and Lyra. The girl was four-years-old when Luna's kids came to live on the farm. Sam said the three hit it off right away.

The three Louds walked into the house and into the dining room and were greeted by Sam and Christina . Sam's wife was a tall a buxom Latina. A total babe, and a wonderful person, Luna had to give Christina mad chops for scoring someone like Sam.

Sam's smile, despite being plastered on a face that had been half-burned off and missing an eye, was still in Luna's eyes was as beautiful as Sam's soul. Sam was the victim of a hate crime when she was twenty-two years old. She was coming out of her first gay-bar and got acid thrown on her face by some bigot. It put an end to the prospect of Sam's ambitions in the military. Instead of being daunted by the attack, the woman became dedicated to fighting such bigotry. She helped open a youth center to help LGBT+ teens who've been bullied, tortured, or cast off by their family, and for every attempt to roll back their rights, Sam was there to try to push back against it. In Luna's eyes, she was a hero.

Homemade pizza, Koolaid, and a chocolate Cake laid on the table.

"Now, who would like to say grace?" Sam asked. No matter the occasion, Sam and Stephnie always thanked the big man in the sky for what they got on the table.

Lyra raised her hand quicker than lightning. This was one of the girl's favorite parts in coming over.

Everyone bowed their heads and clapped their hands together as Lyra began the prayer.

"Be present at our table, Lord, be here, and everywhere, adored, thy people bless, and grant, that we may feast with paradise with thee. Amen."

And with that, they started gorging down on the food.

"You know I keep having you guys over here for this, right?" Sam asked, rather loudly of her guests.

"Why?" Luna asked with a cheeky smile.

The blond woman pointed to her wife beside her. "Because this tyrant only ever lets me and Martha have the good stuff when we're celebrating something important."

"Yeah!" Martha piped in indignantly.

Christina shrugged while munching down on her pizza. "I'm pretty monstrous for wanting my family to live long and healthy lives."

"Thank you for admitting it, sweetie," Sam said without missing a beat.

Luna smiled."Well, now I have a good reason to keep not drinking; gotta make sure my girls get loaded on the blessing of pizza and cake."

"Amen," Lyra said solemnly.

The table broke into a laugh. Even Lemy got a small smile.

After the meal, the two made their way to the living room. A karaoke machine that begged to be exploited lay there.

And for hours, it was.

The first pairing was Luna, and Lyra played 'Let it be loud' by Smooch.

Then Sam and Christina came up to play an old folksy country song about God and forgiveness.

Lemy and Martha went next with her, dragging the boy up to his hand. Martha eagerly started singing the song "Release" that new song from the live-action frozen movie. Lemy sang with the girl he loved like a sister. He blushed furiously, but he managed to scrounge out the lyrics.

Luna and Sam went third. They sang Mick Swagger's 'Tint it dark Nineteen years rocking together, and the two hadn't lost their magic.

For the next couple of hours, that's all they did, and Luna couldn't be happier, and the smile wouldn't leave her face

It went when she saw Lincoln pop open a beer in the living room.

* * *

Lincoln walked toward the fridge for one final drink. Something to just help him smooth down. He felt a little she was surprised to see Luna standing behind him wearing a frown.

He clicked open his can and began sipping it.

He wouldn't drink all of this one. He'd save the rest for later.

"Hey, Linc. You sure you need to be drinking that man."

The white-haired man sensed a trap. "Well need is a kinda strong word, but I want to," he responded carefully.

"Linc, little concerned, you may be overdoing things with the beers."

Lincoln began walking to his room. Luna followed.

"It looks pretty bad, dude.

"Sure I'm an addict," Lincoln said jokingly. "Heck, I once sold my liver for a five-dollar scotch and a pack of Cubans."

Luna didn't join in. "Addicts often joke about being addicts, man."

"So do non-addicts," Lincoln said tersely. "Seriously, though sure I like dark jokes. Who doesn't? But I have limits. I never drink and drive, I don't regularly pass out, I can do my goddamn job."

"A person could be high-functioning-meaning being able to do what you're doing and still have the disease."

"Being an addict ain't a disease," Lincoln responded. "And even it was-it isn't-but a person can drink just because they're just a little stressed out. I need a little break now and again. It's no big deal."

"How many times a day do you need a break?" Luna asked softly.

Lincoln was starting to get irritated. "As many times as the day calls for it," Lincoln replied while trying to remain calm.

"Have you considered going to AA?" Luna asked.

The white-haired man grimaced at the suggestion. "Got dragged there, by Clyde once. Listen, I'm all for actual addicts trying to better themselves. Still, even if I was an addict, I don't see myself getting much from it. Honestly, I think the 'you're powerless' and the whole 'submit to god' stuff is a big turn off. Any fuck ups I've had in life were entirely my own choosing. I'm in control. I don't need to pass the buck for anything."

"AA doesn't preach no responsibility_."

"It's literally the first step."

"No-its admitting you're powerless to a terrible disease. You can choose to try to make sure it doesn't ruin you. Also, your higher power doesn't have to be the big man, dude. I personally prefer thinking of it as humanity. We're all family, we all must do good."

Was this woman seriously lecturing him on what family should be doing? That made Lincoln ground his teeth.

"I'm not ruined, I don't need your program, and quite frankly I don't think anyone else really does either. If you like it, fine. Go. Stop trying to force it on me."

"AA has saved millions of lives. It could save your life too."

"I'm fine," Lincoln said as they finally arrived at his bedroom.

"No-real talk Lincoln, you're a miserable addict, and you need help."

There was a moment of silence.

"You don't get to judge me given the shit you've done," Lincoln whispered.

"I'm not_."

" You're the messed up one, not me. I don't need advice on how to live from a brother-fucking pedo bitch from Someone who fucked up her life, and thinks no longer being a drunk-something, most people never we're including me-is some great accomplishment." Lincoln started screaming towards the end. He didn't care.

Luna looked hurt.

Lincoln took satisfaction in that before slamming the door in her face and chugged down the remaining contents of the drink.

* * *

**A/N Here's whete I ramble.**

**I feel I may lose followers and favs with this chapter.**

**The phrases Luna used such as "Go out" and "Birthdays" are from what I gather AA lingo**

**In my research into AA for this chapter, I was suprised to see many things surrounding it. It's interesting to say the least. There's a lot of debate surrounding it, I encourage anyone whose considering the program to look into it. There's a lot more nuance than I initially thought.**

**For clarification: Sam is priest the Episcopalian Church. They have male and female priests, and each is allowed to marry.**

**I personally find Over-zealous Christian Lyra to be funny in most instances.**

**I also like the idea of her being Christian, and not being someone Pat Robertson would get along with.**

** Whenever**** I see people declare systhemic homophobia, and homophobia being wide-spread at least in regards to the US being a thing of the past, I can't help but wince when I can help but recall the fact there are muliple states with state laws(as of now deemed unconstitutional), that make any same-sexual relations illegal, that actual goverment statsics show LGbT youths are way more likely to be bullied by their peers. I wish it was. I suspect it'll get worse.**


	9. One Man's Hero

"So how long till you're finished," Lincoln asked. Lulu sat on the bottom bunk bed across from him while he sat on the floor.

Her usually adorable face had taken a more monstrous form, her mouth morphing into a cavern of razor-sharp teeth, with a long, thick slithery serpent-like tongue swaying out of it.

Her eyes bizarrely still expressed the innocence and love.

Lincoln tried to focus on that feature.

Lupa sat on a small stool in a corner, making a painting of the white-haired man and her youngest sister.

Lincoln didn't have the most fun looking at this more horrific version of Lulu. The little mutant didn't bother him as much as she used to, he couldn't even say he disliked the company typically. But seeing her like this made him really uncomfortable.

Lupa said she'd planned to enter this one into a competition that Lily had heavily encouraged her to enter. Lily had actually called him up to explain how big this was for the white-haired girl. Besides the patients at the hospital, the girl had always been reluctant to show her work outside the family. She was surprisingly shy about it.

He'd help out even without that tidbit of knowledge, though.

Since the incident with Abbie, Lupa had been less of a brat. The girl still busted his balls a lot, but it was far less mean-spirited, and she even apologized if she thought she may have taken things too far.

"About done right," the white-haired girl took one final munch of her candy cigarette before giving one last brush to the canvas. "Now. You could close your mouth now, little Lu."

The mutant's face promptly morphed back into the adorable version he'd grown used to.

Lincoln got up, picked up Lulu, tickled her little belly to get her laughing, and walked over to Lupa.

"Let's see what you got there," Lincoln said, getting behind the girl to get a look at her creation.

It was a lot more morbid than the other paintings he helped her with, which chiefly delved more into absurdism.

The thing that was supposed to be Lincoln was a shriveled, boney, chalk-white husk, and completely nude lying down on the ground, which appeared to be cracked all around. Thankfully the painting lacked the detail of genitalia. The thing that was supposed to be Lulu looked way more Lovecraftian, a giant monster, with pitch gray skin, eyes that dominated its face. The mouth, however, seemed to be opened like Lulu's swirling tongue and all. The thing sat on a giant rocky mountain. The world surrounding was an extremely damp mixture of black and bright red.

"So how much do you guys hate it?" Lupa tried asking nonchalantly. "I mean, I know I won't win anything with it, but you know maybe its' good enough to merit a participation trophy."

"Bah!" Lulu said encouragingly. The baby reached over and patted her older sister on the head, who smiled in response.

"Thanks," Lupa said.

"It's interesting," Lincoln said slowly, inspecting the art piece. "Did you take cues from Goya?"

Lupa's eyes widened. "Y-yeah. I thought I'd try delving more into Romanticism," she said.

The white-haired man nodded. "Cool. Important for an artist to try different things. You know I dabbled in replicating the guy's work, though I'm more of a proponent of realism."

"Really?" Lupa asked.

"Yeah, him and a few others, Polluck, Gogh, Monet, for instance. I made a couple copies of some of their more famous pieces to sell. Personally, I prefer some of their more of their obscure work, but people wanted the most easily recognizable. There's money to be had in doing that type of thing you if you ever want a make a quick a buck. You're a pretty good artist, so I think you'll get a lot of buyers."

Lincoln saw a tug on Lupa's mouth, though the girl resisted the urge to smile. "Do you still make duplicates?"

Lincoln shook his head. "I had to stop when I started to take on penciling jobs for BC and began my own webcomic series. There was little room for it. I had to prioritize, you know."

"I get that," Lupa said. "I'm guessing the webcomic is about that emo gambling addict, who occasionally kidnaps small children?" she asked, trying to get a rise out of him.

"No, it wasn't about Ace Savvy, the awesome billionaire, philanthropist, ninja detective," he responded keenly. "Kinda wanted to do what you're doing here and experiment a little. I already made a bunch of Ace Savvy fan material when I was a kid. With my webcomic, I wanted to make my own original thing."

"Neat. So what's it about?"

Lincoln lightly scratched Lulu's head, eliciting a purring sound as he thought of a proper summary of his work.

"Well, it's fantasy series about a guy named Abraham who was raised thinking he was the chosen one meant to beat back some evil empire. He wasn't. The poor chump was basically a distraction for the real chosen one. Once the ruse is up, he has to learn to get along in the big bad world. Like a pleb." Lincoln explained.

"It doesn't sound too boring," Lupa said.

Lincoln chuckled. "Kinda wish more people thought that. The series got some positive reviews, here or there, but not a lot of attention. It's been on a hiatus for a while now." Lincoln thought two years could reasonably be classified as a while.

"I had a general plan on how I wanted the story to progress before I started. But as the story developed, I got some new ideas, some of them were pretty bad, others I think we're worthwhile.

Before I knew it, the story ended up in a place that I just don't know how to progress from. But I still plan on finishing it." He promised to produce at least one more page at the end of last year.

"You could have Abraham eaten by cannibals," Lupa supplied.

"Why?"

"I think the real question is why not," Lupa responded, giving a deep and profound nod.

"Bah," said Lulu sagely.

"You have a wicked mind, you know that." the white-haired man replied, trying to keep the mirth out of his voice.

"Ah, that's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me," Lupa said, smirking.

There was a knock on the door. "Come_." Lincoln began before getting gently flicked on the nose.

"It's my room. I get to decide who comes in it." Lupa declared haughtily like a queen in court.

Lincoln rolled his eyes. "Fine. Invite them in."

Lupa cleared her throat. "Go away, and never come back," she commanded in a monotonous tone.

In response, the door opened, and Lemy came right in.

Lupa sighed. "You undercut my image there, Lemy. You know Lincoln both fears and respects my rule."

Lincoln flicked her nose. "Not anymore ya white-haired witch. Thank's Lemy, you've freed me from her spell."

Lupa groaned. "Now, I have to destroy you to re-establish my reputation," the girl said, pointing to her brother.

The white-haired pair laughed.

The young boy just shrugged. His gaze fell on Lincoln. "Lyra told me to ask you if you wanted to come to help out in her church's food pantry. Me and Mom are going too."

Lincoln frowned. He didn't particularly like the thought of being around Luna more than he had to, given her really bitchy, holier than thou attitude about how he chooses to relax. But, he also didn't want to appear selfish.

"Well, I'm not Christian_."

At this revelation, Lupa gasped. "Sweet, pale-white, blonde, blue-eyed European-American, Christian, baby, Jesus, I didn't know I was sharing the company of a godless heathen!" she said in an awful southern accent.

Lincoln flicked her on the nose for her interruption.

Lemy shrugged. "I'm not really either. Dad isn't either."

Lupa gave an even more dramatic gasp at this statement.

Lemy and Lincoln both decided to ignore her. "But it feels nice to help out. Do good for goodness sake, you know." the boy explained.

The boy took on a thinking look before continuing "Also, I think Lyra may wanna make sure Dad's image doesn't get hurt. He always comes along. It'd be pretty a cool favor to her. ."

Lincoln rubbed the back of his neck, not seeing a good way out. He decided to just go with it. It was for a good cause anyway. "Yeah, ok, why not, huh? Let's go make the world a little bit less terrible place."

The white-haired hoisted Lulu up in the air, giving her his best smile, enticing a giggle before planting the little mutant in the lap of Lupa, who proceeded to rock the baby.

He fist-bumped both Lupa and the baby before he headed out with Lemy.

* * *

From the driver's seat Luna offered him a smile when he came to Vanzilla.

It looked so condescending Lincoln couldn't help but grimace.

After their argument, Luna came up to him the next day and said when Lincoln was ready to talk, she was there for him, and that she didn't hold the absolutely true things he said to her against him. She revealed she said and did a lot of fucked up stuff when people tried confronting her about her 'disease' as well.

Now Lincoln saw pity in her eyes whenever she looked at him now, he was the helpless wreck, and she was the glorious savior.

The problem was nothing he said was wrong. The woman had been a drunk.

She did rape her brother. A child could not consent to fuck an adult. This bullshit excuse about its' 'all about love' didn't change that.

She snuck condescending glances at him as they drove to the church, even while he was playing on his phone.

Lincoln wasn't an addict.

Luna was wrong and just needed him to feel worse, to increase her ego.

He believed that.

Lily expressed concerns as well as Linc.

Lily bought into her sibling's insanity. The kid's perception of things was skewed.

And Clyde?

Clyde could be overdramatic.

And_.

Lincoln cranked up the volume on his phone to drown out those needling thoughts.

The church they arrived at was a small and humble building. An American flag, and a rainbow flag, shared pole bellowing proudly. a wooden sign stood on the lawn of the building. 'Loving God, loving America, loving each other.' the sign read.

A small line had formed at the door, some of them in casual clothes, were the last in line, the women with children Were next, the obviously homeless were the first.

There were a few people in the church already making preparations for the day's events.

One woman stood out, though. She held a clipboard and fired off directions to those around; she wore the attire of a priest. Half of her face's skin was severely scarred, and it lacked one eye.

She looked familiar, though, Lincoln couldn't place who she reminded him of.

When she smiled at them, Lincoln recognized the woman as Sam Sharp. Lincoln's Luna and Sam had struck a record deal after college, which catapulted the two to fame. Luna and Sam were inseparable in his universe. The had been the maid of honors at each other's wedding, and his Luna even named one of her baby sons after the blonde woman.

There was a sad story for this's universe's Sam's current state, but he felt it'd be rude to ask.

Like it'd be a dick move to ask how a guy in a wheelchair lost his legs.

So, it'd probably be a dick move to ask how a woman missing her face, lost her face.

Sam assigned the Louds into helping put food in the bags; by the time that task was over, the line had grown exponentially.

As Lincoln handed out food, he couldn't help but agree with Lemy's earlier statement.

It did feel nice, doing something like this.

As the distribution was halfway over, Luna got a call.

"Ello." the ex-rocker said with a smile. She then got a concerned look on her face.

She turned to Lincoln and the kids. "Dudes, don't mean to be a bummer, but I have to bow out. My sponsee needs me, so you'll have to hitch a ride with someone else. Really sorry about this."

Lyra quickly waved her hand. "Mom, Annie is worth way more than a little work on our part."

"Yeah," Lemy mumbled while handing out a bag of food to a young woman with a gaggle of kids around her.

Luna gave her kids hugs, and a sad smile to Lincoln before she left.

After all the food was given away, the volunteers were gathered inside. Sam had formed a circle and asked everyone to bow their head for prayer. Lincoln didn't feel comfortable joining in, but he felt less comfortable at the thought of causing a scene.

Sam gave the three a ride back to the house.

Lincoln watched a Youtube video on his phone about a theory on Wild Willy being the father of Ace Savvy. It was insanely stupid, but also an entertainingly stupid idea.

Lemy tapped him on the knee, and he pulled out his earplugs.

"Yes?"

"Sam asked you something," Lemy responded, pointing to the scarred woman.

"Yo, Lincon, you know the rules when in my church, my house, or my car. One is that one ear free to listen to me. I am beautiful and intelligent, so I'm an entitled to an audience," she declared.

"Beautiful sure," Lyra said with a smile. "Though I have reservations about the idea of you being intelligent."

Sam shrugged. "Who needs to be smart when you're hot," she said, then barked out a laugh.

"So, what did you ask me?" Lincoln inquired, bringing attention back on him.

"Oh, right, you. I came up with a title for women priests in the church. You know people are always asking 'what should I call you.' they call guy priests father. So what about us, girls? In my opinion, we should be referred to as Ultra-Cools. What do you think? The kids are on board, but they're like ten or something. They still believe in Santa Clause, so their opinions are worth a meh."

"I'm seventeen, and Lemy's twelve."

"And you still believe in Santa? Now, whose not smart?" she asked mockingly.

"So, what do you think, Lincoln?"

"Wouldn't the natural title be a mother?" the white-haired man asked, genuinely curious.

Sam shook her head. "The nuns have that." she scowled "Lucky hags."

Lincoln gave the idea some deep thought. "I think it should be Mega-ultra cool chick."

The car erupted with laughter. Mostly from Sam, but some light chuckling from Lemy, and Lyra managed to sneak in.

When they arrived, they thanked the priest for the ride, Sam, in turn, brushed off as being only fair for the help at the church.

As they entered the house, Lyra asked if he could speak to him in private.

He grabbed a beer before he invited her to his room.

* * *

"I really do appreciate you coming out today," Lyra said. "Though I have to admit, I had ulterior motives than wanting you to come with us."

Lyra grimaced. The phrasing in how she said that made her intentions sound way worse than they were.

"Yeah, Lemy said you wanted to preserve your pop's image," Lincoln supplied after sipping his beer.

"I think that's true to an extent," Lyra admitted while rubbing her neck. "But also wanted you to see an image of my mother that you may not be accustomed to. She does volunteer work like that all the time. I think you've...misunderstood what type of people my aunts and my mom are."

Lincoln's eyes widened, but he didn't lash out.

Lyra thought that was a good sign.

Lyra chose to believe that it was a good sign.

The teen felt uncomfortable with the man's feelings towards the adults of her family.

Aunt Lola told Lyra that it shouldn't matter if he liked the adults. So long as he kept his tongue, did his job, and treated the kids kindly, he could think Lola and her sisters were devil-incarnate.

Lyra didn't share the woman's sentiments. She had hoped as he'd been exposed to more of them, he'd see how wonderful they were.

He hadn't.

And some her aunts like aunt Lana and aunt Leni had tried to be friendly, only to rebuffed by Lincoln.

And Leni was literally one of the most likable people one could ever meet.

He acted more warmly Lily, though not by much.

It was wrong.

"Kid_." Lincoln began in a wary tone.

"They're good people," Lyra cut him off.

"You have the right to think that," Lincoln replied. Lyra saw he meant 'you have the right to think that ridiculous idea' like she was a creationist, ranting that the earth was 6000 years old, and he was a paleontologist humoring her delusions.

"I know what they're doing may seem strange," Lyra conceded. "But it works for them. We-my siblings and I-didn't always live together_."

"Yeah, Lola told me that." Lincoln cut her off.

"Did she tell about the living situation for many of them?"

"Lola said she and Lana where homeless. I imagine it wasn't exactly glamourous for the rest."

Lyra sighed. "It wasn't. Most of my aunts were single young women raising children. Their financial situation was strained before my grandparents discovered their...activities. Many dropped out of college just to get a job to put food on their tables. Lemy and I probably had the worst of it, given our mother's disease. We lived with our grandparents. When everything came out, we lost the only home we knew. Mom had to come out of rehab to take care of us.

For a while, she managed to hold it together enough to get a job and an apartment. But often the situation, and the stress, it got to her. She ended up in jail, and my brother and I were taken in by Sam and her wife." Lyra explained.

The teen still remembered her mother coming home smelling like she had literally bathed in alcohol. The mushing on how having Lyra and her brother was a mistake, crying, slurring, before passing out almost drowning in her tears, booze, sometimes puke, and often times urine. The girl had tried her best to shield her brother from that, either through covering his ears to spare him from the cruel words, or if her mother came home late, and passed out before making it to bed cleaning her up, and lugging her to bed. Luna had gotten physical with Lyra, slapping, punching her stomach, pushing her down, the bruising on her wrists.

She never put her hands on Lemy, because whenever her mother looked to be drunk and angry enough to hurt her brother, for something Lyra was there.

Lyra would get attention back on her, through either shouting swears she had heard her mother say right at the women, or immediately breaking something.

When Luna got arrested, she'd been gone from the apartment for a couple days on fender leaving Lyra to take care of her brother.

When Luna came by Sam's farm, Lyra shielded her brother and stood behind Sam and Cristina.

It took a while for Lyra to reconcile this view of the remorseful woman with the woman Lyra grew up with calling mother.

But, over time, she began to see her mother had changed. She began to want to see her mother had changed.

Lyra's mother was a good woman now. What they were doing was unusual, but it wasn't evil.

Lincoln should see that.

"Them getting reunited again was a good thing. They were able to pull our resources, allowing those who dropped out to go back to college, to worry less about paying rent and give everyone including me the blessing of ten loving mothers, and an awesome father." the girl said passionately.

Lincoln took a sip of his beer. He got a distressed look like Lyra was a bomb he had to carefully defuse. "I recognize you really do believe everything that you're saying. If you need this, I'm not going to take it from you," he said.

Translation being 'you're wrong, but I'm allowing you to believe in this silly thing.'

It was incredibly condescending. Lyra didn't get mad, however. He was no more ignorant than most of the world would be in regards to her family. If anything, she felt a little saddened.

She tried offering him a comforting smile.

He grimaced.

* * *

Luna frowned as she came into Annie's apartment. On her ride over here, she prayed she wasn't too late.

When she got in, Annie was sitting on her bed, the only place that could be semi-comfortable to do so, given the cramped space. Gentle tears cascaded her beautiful little face. The girl still wore her sponge-bob pajama bottoms.

Luna came over and sat by her sponsee.

"What's the sitch, mate?" Luna asked gently.

Annie took a deep breath before answering. "I tried to reconnect with my sister. I got her number and called her up," Annie said. "You know to let her know I-I forgive her for not helping me after mom and dad went to prison. I always thought, or at least hoped it was guilt that made her not step in, or she was just too poor, or something that was keeping her from me."

Tears rained down harder. "Turns out I was wrong. She left me in foster care because she just hates me for letting the secret slip. She said she dealt with it too and managed to keep her mouth shut about it. She said she wanted nothing to do with me, and that I was a traitor to the family, and that she wished she strangled me in my crib."

The words were horrific, though, despite her outrage, Luna felt pity for Annie's sister.

She was a victim as well, broken to the point she'd throw away a girl who only wanted to love and to be loved.

"I wanted to drink so much after that. I still do."

"You can't do that," Luna whispered. "You're hurting, but drinking won't change that. It never does. If anything, it'll make it worse."

"I know." the girl whimpered. "But I don't know if I don't deserve to hurt for what I did."

Luna cupped the young girl's face in her hands and stared in eyes that held so much pain in them. "Annie Smith, I am so damn proud of you for trying to take the initiative and reconcile with your sister. You've forgiven her, and that takes some massive balls."

"But she rejected m-me." the girl sniffled.

Luna nodded. "You still did good. Forgiveness doesn't have to be accepted. I forgave my parents for disowning me-I don't regret it, even though I know they never regretted what they did. They should have, but I couldn't make them."

"But you're a good person Luna, and I'm_."

Luna put up a finger against Annie's lips to silence her.

"You were a child. Eleven-years old and helpless. Your parents hurt you. You're the victim.

You've forgiven your sister. That wasn't awesome because she wanted it or even deserves it. It's awesome because you deserve to be free."

With that, the young girl threw herself onto Luna, desperately holding on, wailing as loudly as she could.

Luna just lightly patted the girl on the back and whispered she was okay.

For the two spent the rest of the day together with each of them reading the big book, the bible of AA, went over the chants and steps. Afterward, Luna took Annie to that new Spongebob the girl had been excited to see. Luna remembered watching the first of these folks when she was a kid. She thought the first one had sweeter tunes than this one. Luna felt old thinking that.

Annie's smile and laughter at watching the movie made her look so much younger.

When Luna drove the girl home, Annie gave her one last hug at the door.

"Call, if you need anything. Please." Luna implored.

"Thanks for being there for me. You're a saint."Annie said before going inside.

The ex-rocker didn't see herself like that.

Luna made a lot of bad choices in her life. She just wanted to do some good now. It felt nice.

* * *

**A/N**

**To the Muslim guest: I think you meant well, hermpadite is a slur to Intersex people, and gives the wrong idea of what it means. A lot of it doesn't ambiguous genitalia.**

**I hoped using the word intersex would make people look it up, and see what a bum deal these people have. parents often have surgery on their intersex children's genitalia, when they are literally a couple months old just to 'normalize' them'. I read up on an Inter-sex little girl named Rosie. born with XX chromosomes, and genitalia that looks male. Beautiful kid. It'd been a shame for her parents to have changed her to accommodate some bigots' sentiments.**

**I acknowledge how 'political' this may come across to some. I don't respect the complaint of "its political" It seems like a cowardly way of saying, "Don't show political views I don't share in media I'm trying to consume.". Most who make it probably have no major grievance with movies using military material lent by the pentagon who'd did so, with the aim of recruiting for America's political interests, Showing the US military to be a negative force on the world is not more political if than if shown in a postive light, helping save people whether from a monster, or a meteor.**

**And introducing politics in media is not new.**

**Creators of the Twilight Zone, and Star Trek went had interviews went on interviews to explain what political/social messages they were trying to push as right with with their shows which were not subtle as intended, and told the viewer what was right.**


	10. Empathy

**A/N I'm pretty sure I'll lose people with this chapter.  
**

* * *

Lincoln waited in line at Disney's Walmart.

The man got groceries for the house and a present for Lemy to thank him for the Smooch tickets.

Lincoln decided on getting the boy a tool belt.

Lemy turned out to be very mechanically inclined. He was responsible for trying to fix things that'd breakdown around the house or keep them in shape, such as Vanzilla.

Hell from his talks with the boy, Lincoln discovered he was the president of his school's Stem-club.

The boy was smart. Quiet and intelligent. The total opposite of his sanctimonious drunk pedophilic mother despite his choice of dress.

The white-haired man didn't know much about tools or toolbelts, but he'd looked up some reviews for some that fit his price range and thought he'd gotten one that would please the boy.

He thought about just getting the kid a video-game but figured this showed he'd put some real thought into it.

"Lincoln," a familiar voice chirped.

Lily came behind him, wearing a big smile and pushing a shopping cart.

Lincoln noticed it primarily consisted of mustard bottles and watermelon. It appeared Lily took after her mother in terms of her pregnancy cravings.

"Sup," he replied.

"How are you holding up?" Lily asked cheerily

Lincoln shrugged. "No worse than usual."

Lily barked out a laugh.

Her eyes fell to his cart, and her smile grew slightly.

"That for Lemy?" Lily asked, pointing to the toolbelt.

"Yep," Lincoln replied, "He gave me some Smooch tickets, so I'm returning the favor. Think he'll like it?"

Lily's smile fell. She didn't say anything for a moment. She looked pained,

"You alright?" Lincoln asked, which seemed to break the girl out of her trance.

"Um yeah, my mind just wandered a little. Could you watch my cart for a minute?"

Lincoln looked at the long line and then nodded.

Lily jogged off into the store. She came back a few moments later carrying a tool belt.

She took a moment to catch her breath before speaking. "This is the Milwaukee 48-22-8110 Electricians Work Belt. I know he's been saving up for it while."

Lincoln took it and examined it. It was about the price of the other belt, so he put it in his basket.

"Thanks. I'm sure Lemy will appreciate it,"

Lily waved dismissively and smiled brightly. "No big deal. Though I do think you should keep my little contribution here between us. You know the little guy looks up to you, you know I'd like him to think you listened so well you knew exactly what to get him.."

Lincoln found the request a little weird but decided he could follow it.

The line had moved up, so he began putting things on check outstand.

"So how are you, kid?"

"I feel like I'm going to have an awesome day. So you know fairly typical." Lily chirped happily.

"You know a dose of pessimism keeps you healthy right?" Lincoln asked as he stacked the groceries on the check-out stand.

"'You'll never find a rainbow if you're looking down.' That's from Charlie Chaplin."

"'Quoting people is dumb.' That's from Einstein."

"No, it isn't."

"You're right. It's from Stalin. Say what you will about the man, brutal despot, killer of millions, he got his view on quotes right."

"You have a wicked mind." Lily snickered.

"Yep," he said while putting the last of his items on the check-out stand.

He handed the belt he was initially going to buy to the cashier and said he didn't want it.

The white-haired man then helped Lily put her stuff on.

"You don't have to_."

"It's fine," he dismissively hucking the large Mellon on the belt.

Lily began started putting stuff on too.

When the two went outside, Lincoln also helped Lily put her cravings in her car.

"Thanks, Lincoln."

"Eh, it wasn't too much of a bother."

* * *

When Lincoln pulled up to the house, he saw Lemy fixing the lawnmower.

Before taking in the other things, he bought the white-haired man went to the boy with the present.

"Lem got you this," Lincoln said, handing the toolbelt over.

Lemy inspected the gift. "What for?"

"The concert tickets."

Lemy frowned. "You didn't have to._."

Lincoln waved a hand dismissively. A person should pay their debts. Remember that."

Lemy nodded.

"Still, I can't believe you just gave me the tickets to begin with." Lincoln started.

Lemy shrugged. "Just not into concerts right now."

"But_."

"Can we please drop this?" the boy asked.

Lincoln held up his hands. "Alright, kid."

"I am thankful for the gift Linc.," the boy hastily added.

"I know. You don't need to justify yourself to me."

A car pulled up to the driveway, and three of Leia's little schoolmates, came out wearing turtle scout uniforms, which were a mixture of light green and black. The blonde one didn't wear the vest. These three were usually the first to arrive before a dozen or so scouts.

The brown-haired one smiled at Lemy. "Hi, Lemy," she said wistfully.

"Hey," the boy responded flatly.

"How are ya," she asked.

"Not dead yet," he said.

"Well, I'm_."

"Gwen, Leia gave us an exact time to meet," the dark-skinned girl interrupted. "I do not know about you, but I endeavor to fulfill my obligations."

Gwen scowled at the other girl who started walking towards the house. The blonde followed.

Gwen smiled at Lemy, "Gotta finish, some work for the boss-lady, but we should talk later."

The girl followed after her fellow scouts.

"That girl likes you," Lincoln said in a teasing tone.

The boy shrugged.

"Little heartbreaker." he chuckled with mirth.

"I didn't ask her to feel anything," Lemy said defensively.

"Casanova."

"Please stop," Lemy said in a tone that communicated actual hurt.

"Alright, kid," Lincoln said. "I was just playing."

"I know," the boy hastily added. "I just really don't feel comfortable with that sort of thing. Ok?"

"Ok," Lincoln responded, he was still shy about girls at that age too. Lemy would probably see them differently in a little while, or perhaps Lemy's interests skewed more to boys.

In any case, Lincoln would listen and ease off.

* * *

Lucy loved life.

She knew to most outside her family; this would appear shocking.

Tall dark woman whose been talking of tragedy, darkness, and ghosts since could make a sound loved life.

She's had her bouts with sadness, and depression and her life had given her her hardship, but she still cherished it. Life has given her siblings, who were beautiful lovers and partners. Life has given her twelve beautiful children.

She also believed people should die while in a state of peace.

So, for this reason, every week for the past year, Lucy volunteered at the suicide hotline for six hours.

Those were some of the most laborious hours of her life.

Often times the calls were bogus, idiots seeking a quick laugh, or perverts seeking an audience to get off to. Lucy had to stay on the phone while some of the callers audibly climaxed.

She could not choose who to talk with. She could not hang up on anyone, given the slightest possibility they were genuine.

Everyone had to be welcomed.

Lucy's offered her ear to men who lost a lot in divorce, bullied children, seniors who see themselves as a burden, rape survivors, and rapists.

Everyone was welcome because every life was precious.

She was not there judge what was moral, or immoral, or shameful, or praiseworthy. The pedophilic ex-rapist would not more or less empathy from her than the abused child when he or she called.

She did not hold any delusions of the grandeur about herself.

She was there to listen. The callers themselves knew their pain more intimately than she did, more than she could. She was there to work with the callers to help themselves Not lecture them.

"Hello, suicide hotline," Lucy said to the caller.

"Hey!" an overly peppy voice responded."I uh hope I'm not a bother. I just kinda feel like I needed to talk to someone right now. Something happened yesterday, and I think I may be overreacting."

"What's sorts of things?"

"My boyfriend kinda got a little rough with me, and I'm kinda feeling a little blue."

"How rough?"

"He kinda choked me a little. I mean, he didn't choke me hard enough to pass out, so it's not a big deal. Right?" the woman said nonchalantly.

"How did that make you feel?"

"Well, it was scary when it was happening, though he'd kill me."

"Does he get rough with you like this a lot?"

"Yeah." the woman said. "Last time he choked me, I passed out, so that's why I kinda got scared this time."

"Have you ever wished yourself dead, or thought about going to sleep and not waking up?" Lucy asked the first of the six questions to determine the woman's risk level.

"Yeah."

"Have you actually had any thoughts about killing yourself?" that was question number two.

"I mean, I've always had them every now and again, but I guess I've been having more of them lately ." the woman said.

"What do you feel is causing that?" Lucy asked.

"I lost my last pregnancy. That's also around the time he got rough. I think he blames me for it. I mean, I understand, since this sort of thing has happened before, but it's still scary, you know."

"Have you thought of how you might do this?" that was the third question.

"Well, my boyfriend has a gun he keeps lying around. I mean, I figure that'd work best."

At the mention of a firearm, Lucy got tense.

"Is the gun in the room with you now?" Lucy asked carefully.

"Yeah."

"Can you go to another room?"

"Um sure."

A few moments later passed before Lucy heard the woman's voice again. "Ok, I did it."

Lucy relaxed a little.

"Have you had any intention of acting on these thoughts of killing yourself as opposed to not having them and not acting on them?" that was question four.

"I don't know. I know that's not really an answer, but that's how I feel. I guess I don't think I'll seriously try offing myself, you know."

"Have you ever done anything, started to do, or prepared to do anything to kill yourself?" Lucy asked.

There was a pause.

"Hello?"

"Ok, this is gonna sound really silly, but when I was a kid, I took some of my mother's anxiety pills. My dad kept beating on her, and me and one night I guess it got a little too much for me."

The answer consolidated Lucy's view that a woman's threat level was high.

For the next half hour, Lucy and the woman devised her safety plan, found her triggers(the things that could set her off), and made a list of people to call if she felt any urge to take her own life.

The woman professed to think her boyfriend would likely assault her again. She said she'd check woman's shelter, where'd she'd be safer and able to seek counseling.

Lucy hoped that the woman would follow the plan.

She was not meant to know. She was just there to give something every human being needs: empathy.

After her shift, she felt emotionally exhausted.

To make herself better she went to the cafe nearby. First, she picked up her sister Lily, who lived about a block away from the call-center.

Her youngest sister insisted on having lunch with the woman after her hours at the center, knowing how drained Lucy felt.

The two talked of positive things primarily of things they were excited for and happy about. Poems Lucy composed, the reactions she's gotten out of children at her Libary's storytime, a spectacular report card for Lupa. Lately, Lily's talk tended to focus on pregnancy, which the young woman was still ecstatic about. Lucy had mixed feelings about it.

Yes, a new member of the family was something to celebrate. But Lucy would've preferred it if Lily waited. All of her siblings did. Lucy knew she could not condemn Lily for her decision given her own history but still wished the blonde waited. It was not that the gothic woman thought Lily was stupid. Far from it. The blonde girl had a 5.0 GPA. She was the editor of her college's paper, her art had won 'best piece' in the college's art gallery, and she had been accepted into Ivy leagues such as Yale, Harvard, and a litany of others.

And the family would support the young woman, of course, the child would have its' needs tended to by a group of people that would love it wholeheartedly.

But still, Lucy hoped her youngest sister enjoyed being a kid a little while longer. Lucy and most of her other siblings knew the hurdles could come with having a child so young.

It was why Lucy and her siblings tried to make their children as well educated as they can about sex when they came of age to start being interested in such things. Parenthood ends most semblances of childhood.

The parents told their kids that they should have sex when they're ready.

Detailed what contraception to use, how to avoid pregnancy and STIs, and Stds, how they had a right to say no to any sexual or romantic advance made towards them.

If someone doesn't respect their rejection, the person who pressed is at fault.

Her brother was supposed to give the talk to Lemy in a couple weeks.

It didn't help soothe Lucy's mind that the would-be father of Lily's child hasn't shown up yet, and Lucy and her siblings thought it extremely unlikely at this point he ever would. Lily said she was in love with the man and that he was in love with her.

Some of her sisters and brother joked about Lily and this mysterious man who captured their younger sister's heart getting married during the first couple days of the announcement of the girl's pregnancy.

Her Lincoln proposed that'd they'd all give her away on her special day.

After a few weeks of no word from the guy, some joked about having to track the mysterious man down and beating him for making them wait so long.

After the first month, no one was joking.

It looked like Lily's lover had decided to bail on her.

Which infuriated Lucy and her siblings. Their sister was a great girl.

She didn't deserve to be treated like this. Lucy was not a violent person by heart but made the suitable incantations to punish the man with sever misfortune if he didn't own up to his responsibility soon.

* * *

Leia sat in her backyard, waiting patiently for Stephnie and her followers. Leia's followers had set up a folding table and chairs for the two scout leaders to negotiate. Leia's decision to resume conflict may have been made too soon. The blue-bells had so far dealt more than damage than she'd anticipated on her side. But the blue-bells came out just as damaged. Negotiations had been set today for peace.

Ten of her best soldiers were with her. Nine of them stood up in a row behind Leia on alert.

Natasha was playing with Lizy.

"Rawr, I'm going to eat you nom nom nom," Lizy said, giving voice to her lordzilla figure.

"No, I will smash you!" Natasha said, giving voice to the Donkey king in her hand.

Her mother had taught people to desire purpose, a cause to devote themselves to. For some, that would be the military. For a long time for many, it was a god. The purpose she gave for her soldiers was simple to serve was Leia and her cartel.

Leia dedicated herself to protecting her family.

She knew people would like to destroy them because they were mean and dumb, so she needed to protect her loved ones when she got big. Her ultimate ambition was to get strong enough to where no one could move against her family even if the secret did get out. She'd conquer the world if she had to-which she planned to do, at the very much of the power structures that govern it.

She didn't want to lose anyone. Her heart couldn't take it. When she was little, she had nightmares of bad men coming into her home, loading her and her family in separate cars, and carting them away.

She shared a room with Lupa with back then. After Leia woke up crying, the white-haired girl got up to take care of her.

Leia's older helped clean the blonde up if she had wet herself, and then let sleep in her bed.

Lupa reassured Leia that her nightmare wouldn't happen. Lupa softly said that they'd be ok if they were careful, and they were always careful. Leia often fell asleep in Lupa's arms, having sweeter dreams back then.

Leia's fears never went away, though.

The night her daddy disappeared, she cried for the first time in years. She felt terrible given she knew it'd not calm down Lizy, but she wanted her daddy back so much.

Leia could see the utility of Lincoln, but he wasn't her daddy.

A lot of her siblings had already formed connections with him, so she tended to avoid him.

Seeing him was painful. At a distance, he looked like her daddy. But he couldn't be more different. He was cynical, pessimistic, and a drunk.

Though any man would look particularly bad compared to her daddy, Lincoln fared particularly bad.

She always saw the bright side of everything, he greeted life with passion and was the kindest man ever.

She was sated with the fact she'd get her daddy back, however.

Lupa laid out the rationale for why Lisa had to be exaggerating the severity of the situation. Leia explained it to her mother, and she agreed with it.

Her mother never coddled her from hard truths.

If anything, Leia's mother expected her to be hard. Her mother said the world would try to break her.

Leia's mother once told her, and her older sisters that if someone, especially a boy or man, got ontop them and looked to be taking their clothes off for them to immediately yell they had HIV-they didn't her mother assured, but they should still scream it.

Leia knew it was a sickness one could get from having unprotected sex. Her mother also advised her and her sisters to be as gross as possible. Leia didn't relish the prospect of being gross, but she'd obey her mother knowing she wouldn't tell her this without good reason.

Leia's daddy asked her to have fun and make friends and try to do good in school on her first day at the academy.

Leia's mother commanded her to dominate. Told Leia, she was too smart to be weak.

The pig-tailed girl labored to fulfill her parents' wishes. She had fun and made friends, and she attained perfect grades.

She also dominated.

She found the most socially-inept, the outcasts, those who her mother taught were the easiest to manipulate, and brought them under her fold and made them the most prominent student group at the academy.

Gwen had initially tried to bully her. Her mother told girl bullies tended to go more psychological than physical, and Leia preferred to use such tricks. Gwen was all physical. She was actually such a good boxer Leia thought if anyone could beat Lacy in her tournament, it'd be Gwen.

The first day at the academy, Gwen gave her a wedgie and dipped her head in a toilet after Leia refused to humor her attempts at extorting her for lunch money.

The bigger girl would continue her torment for the next weeks.

Leia knew she needed to break Gwen.

Leia secured Natasha's loyalty first.

The Russian girl had a younger playful soul. Other girls mocked her for it. while Leia found strangely endearing. Natasha was also crazy strong.

She also got some of Gwen's other targets to assist in the takedown. Marsha being Gwen's prime target, took little convincing.

The group lured Gwen in an alley with Leia herself, acting as the bait goading the bully. Once in the alley, the girls tackled Gwen. They might've had an easier time trying to hold down a lion. Gwen managed to bloody the nose of Marsha and three others, gave Natasha a black eye, and took two baby teeth from Leia, but they'd managed to subdue and tie up up Gwen with the rope Leia brought. Leia had never been gladder to have earned he knot tying badge in the bluebells. Gwen was more battered and bloody than the other girls in the alley, but she showed not an ounce of fear of any of them.

When The pig-tailed girl cut a piece of Gwen's hair and promised to continue unless Gwen promised to cease her torment of all students at the academy, Gwen just laughed.

Gwen, rather than being turned off by Leia's assault, demanded to join Leia's growing group, saying she could be a faithful follower or a bitter enemy. In either case, Gwen would have her fun.

Leia chose the former she had ideas of how to utilize Gwen in and outside the academy.

The blonde girl planned to use the strong girl in her new cookie cartel once she quit the blue-bells.

The Bluebell scouts were an excellent organization that taught many useful things to young girls. Skills from how to live in polite society, entrepreneurship, and self-sufficiency-if one truly paid attention.

Her family also had decades-old ties to the place. Leia's mother, aunt Lana, aunt Leni, and Lori were former members.

There was just one problem that forced Leia to leave the Blue-bells.

For every cookie sold, a scout could only get 5 percent-meaning. She'd only get 5 percent of the profit. She'd literally get pennies for her hours of labor.

The majority would go to the organization. Some covered the cost of making the cookies and covering the cost of certain activities such as camp. Some went to charity, which Leia saw the practicality in terms of positive optics and the tax write-offs.

Most, however, went to the parent company-which primarily paid the ludicrous sized salary upper-management.

Leia could respect that.

But she was not privy to remain a laborer getting paid less than peanuts.

She desired to be a manager.

So upon the moment she earned her last badge, she aptly took off her satchel and threw it at her troop leader's feet.

Her troop leader had been Stephanie.

When her mother and daddy came to pick her up, they had two different reactions. Her daddy expressed concern. Her mother demanded answers.

At home, Leia gave a lengthy PowerPoint presentation, which unequivocally proved that it was economically beneficial for Leia to quit and start her own scout group.

Aunt Leni had already promised to stitch the necessary outfits, she'd enlisted Liena's support in making the initial product. However, she expected to offload much of the responsibility for some of her recruits' parents.

Her mother grilled her on the finer details as Leia knew she would. After she answered them promptly and concisely, her mother smiled and pledged to support the venture. She'd become Leia's primary investor, and expected monthly reports on her progress in the enterprise. Leia's mother's job as a dance instructor paid lots of money, but she didn't spoil Leia like her daddy might. If Leia wanted something costly, she had to always make a well thought out case for how it could benefit her. Her daddy often helped with her with this.

Her daddy, at the end of it, just asked her if this was something she wanted to do. When she said yes, he said he would support her, lifted her up, gave her a hug and a kiss.

Her mother joined in, cheerily bragging how her princess was so smart.

The blonde hasn't regretted her decision ever since.

Leia felt here cell vibrate. When she looked at one text message popped up. 'The goblin is close' it read. The lookouts she had posted around the neighborhood had seen Stephnie approaching.

"Lizy, I think you should go inside now," Leia said.

"Ah, but me and Natasha are playing." the little girl whined.

Natasha got up from the ground.

"Time for work." Natasha sighed.

Lizy pouted.

"Is ok. We play after." Natasha rumbled.

"Awesome!" Lizy said before going into the house.

A couple minutes later, Liena escorted Leia's rival arrived with ten of her soldiers to the backyard.

"You girls have fun playing," Leia's big sister said with a smile.

"Mrs. Liena, we're not playing, we're trying to organize a truce between our two warring factions," Stephnie complained.

"Yeah, this is gravely important," Leia put in.

Liena just chuckled and went inside.

Stephnie came to the table and sat on the other side of Leia. Her soldiers eyed Leia's prepared to intercede the moment they'd see their leader attacked.

They were trained well. Leia had been under Stephnie knew how effective the bluebell leader was as a leader.

Leia has gone to battle with Stephanie knew how effective she was as an enemy.

"Stephnie, my sister-scout, my peer, I'm so glad you've decided to come to this sit-down to talk of peace." Leia pronounced. She gestured towards the cookies and strawberry milk on the table. "Please have some."

Stephanie gave Leia a small smile. Before taking a small sip of the milk and slight nibble of the cookie. She was now protected under the laws of parlay, the ones all scout troops had to abide by else lose their credibility. If a scout or scout leader came to another scout domain and they are given milk and cookies, they and their followers could not be accosted.

Leia thought it was a tad silly tradition, but sometimes respecting stupid things was a necessary part of doing business.

"Thank you, Leia. It is my and my troop's intention to establish a profitable peace between us as it has always been. We do not ask for much. Only for our rightfully acquired borders to be respected." Stephnie responded with a smile

Leia smiled back. This peace would not last anymore than the previous one. This was best a ceasefire so each side could regroup, to recoup assets lost, and plan their next assaults on the other.

Leia broke the last ceasefire.

Leia sent Gwen and Natasha fencing on Blue-bell territory in which in turn demanded reprisal.

Her troop still believed her when she told them that they were merely retaliating for unjustified aggression.

"As do we," Leia said happily.

The two would then discuss what constituted their 'rightfully secured borders.'

The negotiation lasted hours, with each trying to squeeze everything they could out of the other.

Wild claims were lodged, only for more reasoned demands to follow after, concessions that may have appealed tempting were little more than traps.

Leia enjoyed every second of it.

This was a long vicious struggle of two iron-wills.

This was one more battle between two geniuses, that would help chart the course of their glorious war.

This_.

"This is boring." a monotonous voice interjected.

All the scouts jumped in fright.

Lupa stood two feet away from them wearing an evil smirk.

"Playtime's almost over kiddies."

"We're not playing!" Stephnie said pointedly.

"Yeah, we're negotiating_." Leia started before Lupa rudely interrupted her.

"Who gets to give cookies to which fatso. Very important." Lupa said dismissively.

"Liena told me to tell you its' getting close to dinner, so you girls need to call your rides now." the white-haired girl announced.

"But we're nowhere near done," Leia pouted.

Lupa shrugged.

"We'll finish this later," Stephnie sighed.

"Would tomorrow be acceptable?" Leia inquired

"No."

"Why not?" Leia asked.

"My pig's going into surgery. I'm gonna have to be at the hospital the entire day," the older blond explained.

Oh. Leia found that sad.

Leia knew about her enemy's pet pig Slim and the blue-bell leader's closeness to him.

She'd tried to find out everything she could about her enemy.

Stephnie's family used to have a farm, but due to changing economic conditions that independent farmers obsolete and an unwillingness to sell to a corporation led them to lose it all together in the end. Slim was a piglet Stephnie's daddy kept.

A small part of his old life.

The pig and blue-bell were as tight as can be.

Stephanie's and her family's social-media was filled with the content of Leia's nemesis and Slim.

Of the owner and pet playing with each other, of a younger Stephanie riding Slim with them looking at each other with nothing but love and adulation in her eyes.

Some of the girls, the more sadistic and violent, talked about making bacon out of slim in Leia's earshot once. The tone of the offenders suggested they weren't joking.

Leia immediately clamped down on such talk and said any attempt to hurt the pig by one of her scouts would suffer her wrath.

Gwen and Marsha in a rare show of solidarity confronted her in private and told her such a display undercut her image,

Leia didn't care. The thought of hurting an innocent creature just to make Stephanie feel bad was repugnant to Leia. She would not stay silent, Her daddy, _and_ her mother told her to be kind where she could to stick up for the weak where she could. It was one thing to go after scouts people in the game, but going after Slim would've been just mean.

Stephnie actually Gobooked her that same week, saying she appreciated Leia's stance. She'd undoubtedly heard it from one her spies, but her display of gratitude was appreciated.

"I hope he's alright," Leia offered.

"Don't worry, he's a tough ole boy, Just has a little trouble with his liver. My pa says he'd be back to galloping around in no time. But I just need to be there for this. Family comes before business."

Leia nodded. "Nothing's more important than family.

"Ah, thanks, cuz," Lupa chirped.

"Nothing's more annoying than them, too," Leia grumbled. "Come on, let's try ironing out a few more details in my room. It is getting dark and cold out here.

* * *

Lincoln was steadily finishing his can for the night when he heard a knock.

"Come in," he replied.

The door opened, revealing the tall gothic woman that was Lucy. Strangely polite of her to knock rather than just appear out of nowhere.

"Hey, Lincoln, I just thought I'd come by to see how you were doing," the woman said.

"No worse than usual," Lincoln said curtly. He got enough bitchy judgment from to where if Lucy commented on his preferences he'd_

"Do you think you'll feel better if you make it home?"

That question stopped his train of thought.

"Yes, for the most part," he started trying to best articulate his thoughts. "Definitely not going to be happy to see my reputation as an artist destroyed."

"Why do you feel it would be destroyed?"

"Your brother couldn't have done my job. I've seen his current work, and its' not terrible for someone doing a small hobby in their free time, but not good enough to satisfy the people I worked with."

"You find your profession to be a pretty taxing job?" Lucy asked neutrally

Lincoln nodded. "People think it's all easy-peasy for comic artists. The work is long and painful. I personally artists who've had their careers stunted or ended because their back and hands couldn't take the strain anymore. My job doesn't give me healthcare, so if get unlucky-which I typically am-that may be it for me."

Lincoln sighed, "A lot of hungry younger guys would swoop in to take anything I had, and I can't say I blame them given I'd do the same thing."

"Yet, you still plan on going back to it?"

"Yes," Lincoln said without hesitation, "Working on comics has been my passion far back as I could remember. I may stumble from time to time, but I can't give up on it."

"Do you have a plan?" Lucy asked.

Lincoln nodded "The first thing I'd do is call the police tell them Lisa tried to kill me out to get the runt back in prison where she belongs, and then I'm going to fight to get back everything I lost." Lincoln stated calmly, "I may never recover. I may destroy myself. But I will keep trying.."

"Do you think doing that will make you feel better?"

"My family doesn't quit. I'll fight for my dream until I can't."

All his sisters made something of themselves and kept on rising.

His sister Lola set up her own modeling agency with the money she was loaned from her husband, as well as her own boutique stores. She was very insistent on the point it was a business loan, and that'd she'd pay back her husband's investment.

She disclosed to her siblings she couldn't stand to be entirely dependent on anyone, even a man she loved.

And indeed, in just a couple years, she had repaid her debts.

His sister Luna was working on her doctorate in Music online while still touring. Despite her rocker lifestyle, she never skipped on her responsibilities.

His sister Lucy started entire charities to raise money to help combat illiteracy and has raised millions for it.

Most of his sisters worked for their success. Except for Lisa, they continued off their success. Lincoln, although sometimes frustrated he's yet to find similar success, he was proud of them, he respected them.

"I was referring to your plan to remove your sister from your home," Lucy replied.

Oh.

Lincoln shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah. She had to have known something like this would happen. She destroyed my reputation. She very could have killed me if I ended in a more fucked up world."

"Why do you think she'd do such a thing?

"Because she's an evil fucking bitch," Lincoln snarled, "The only reason she landed in my house was that she needed a place to bunk down after getting out of prison for kidnapping. One of her victims was a little girl." He jabbed his chest with a thumb, "I took Lisa in when no one else wanted the runt. I didn't charge her rent, I even tried bringing her fucking food to her to keep her from starving to death."

Lincoln started to get fired up, airing his feelings to someone finally. "She didn't care. How the fuck could I continue to care for her?"

"I don't know," Lucy said.

"How could you? How could anyone?" Lincoln responded.

"Is there anything you think you could be doing to better prepare for your comeback when you get home?" the Gothic woman asked.

He mulled the idea over in his head, "Probably should get back to drawing somethings. It'd be a bad idea to let my skills get rusty."

Lucy nodded. "That sounds like a totally reasonable idea."

Lincoln thought it was too. He was glad he thought of it.

"Do you still hate my sisters and me?" apropos of nothing.

He took a big sip of his beer before answering.

"Yeah, I mean except Lily. "

He began to recognize Lily as still a victim; someone didn't become a predator that was unable to continue the cycle of abuse that had been passed on from her siblings. She was still practically one of the children.

"Though I'm willing to try to make this situation work as best it could. To be civil."

"There's nothing I could do to change your mind about us?" Lucy asked.

"Well, after I get back home, you could find good families to adopt the children and then turn yourselves into the police." Lincoln offered. "Listen, we'll never be friends. That's fine. We just need to be civil."

Lucy just smiled at him sadly. "Thank you for speaking with me, Lincoln. "

"Yeah well, I guess thanks for listening." he sighed.

When he blinked the Gothic woman was gone.

Now that was like Lucy.

* * *

**A/N .**

**Edits:Changed stephnie from witch to goblin. **

**Huckleberry finn could have changed no one's mind.**

**But if it even caused one to see non-whites as human, I think it was worth it.**

**I'm no Dickens. I'm a terrible writer. I think my point still stands.**

**When making stories about people, and how they act in society, politics is unavoidable. Because how we as indivuals interpret the world is largely influenced by the politics of a culture, what we'd see as good or bad by about character will be influenced by it. Take Clyde. In the 60s he'd be politically controversial being some white-boy's best friend and openly crushing on a white girl. **

**captain America was created to drum up anti-nazi sentiment by two Jewish guys and then the US goverment. The x men were created with the intent of representing the struggles oppressed margainlized groups.**

**The U.S military is a government institution that exists to protect the country that is the U.S. Members swear to uphold the constitution-the document that gives structure of how the U.S goverment is to work, what political rights there are. One may see its mission-to protect US interests, and political ideas prescribed in the political document that is the constition as good-It's still political.**

**Roddenberry and Sterling were trek featured a multi-racial/multi-ethnic cast. It also left-wing vegans traveling the stars after achieving a one-world goverment earth and traveling the stars.**

**Sterling made this speech in an episode of twilight featuring an all black cast: "Television, like its big sister, the motion picture, has been guilty of the sin of omission... Hungry for talent, desperate for the so-called 'new face,' constantly searching for a transfusion of new blood, it has overlooked a source of wondrous talent that resides under its nose. This is the Negro actor."**

**Roddenberry and Sterling were subtle. They cared more about using their shows to help stop things like non-whites being lynched, or government using the fear induced by the cold war to erode its' citinzes rights. Not just being inoffensive, or subtle.**


	11. For Civility's Sake

A/N** You can skip this.**

**I wonder how many people I lost with that last chapter. **

**Blue person, are you still there?**

**Hey DoctorYknot, how do you find the story so far?**

* * *

Lacy loved sibling meetings. Though she was especially giddy about this one. Earlier today, she asked the most awesome girlfriend she's ever had over for dinner tomorrow. Maya Roberts.

Maya was one of the most wonderful girls in the world.

Maya was super nice.

She was hilarious. Lacy even got most of her jokes. Even when Lacy didn't exactly know what was funny, she could tell by Maya's delightful laugh, that it had been hilarious.

Maya was also beautiful. For instance, she had the cutest nose. It was long like Pinocchio!

She was also the daughter of one of her mom's old friends. Which got high marks from Lacy's mom, which was great.

Maya was also really good at sports. She was the captain of Lacy's softball team. Lacy's mom encouraged her to try to be captain on one of her team's sports, though she never did.

Being a leader wasn't for her. It seemed like way too much pressure.

She liked following orders more than giving them.

Maya was also Lacy's first girlfriend, so in Lacy's opinion, that made her even more fantastic. She was also a great kisser. Lacy never made out with someone before Maya , but she could tell her girlfriend-Lacy loved the fact she could call someone her girlfriend-was absolutely fabulous at it.

Asking Maya over for dinner seemed like the natural thing to do. The prospect of all her siblings' and Lincoln meeting her girlfriend-again she loved she could call someone that-was awesome.

She decided to make the announcement here.

She sat on the floor of Lyra's and Loan's room next to Liby and Lupa.

Loan and Lyra were opposites, but they're room situation seemed to work. Lyra kept Loan from getting too messy. Loan gave Lyra someone to keep from getting messy.

It was a win-win situation.

"I call this sibling meeting to order," Lyra announced. She hit her bed with her shoe, officiate it. Their father and mothers encouraged Lyra and her siblings to have these sorts of gatherings. They said it necessary to have an open dialogue in which issues could be aired and things to be planned. Though Lyra made it a lot more formal. Hence Lyle being tasked with keeping minutes of the meeting.

They were apart of the household. Lacy and siblings should have a say in somethings a feeling of independence.

"First up on the agenda is planning Lulu's birthday party." Lyra declared.

Lacy's smile retracted just slightly.

"There needs be lots of toys!" Lizy shouted with a smile.

Lyle scribbled on the notepad. "Lots of toys," he muttered loudly much to the delight of Lizy.

"The little abomination loves some chocolate," Lupa added.

Pretty soon, everyone was peppering in ideas for what should be put in the party.

Lacy kept her smile. But remained silent.

Lacy and her siblings generally planned each other's birthday parties. It was one of the tasks their father and mothers' gave over because they trusted them.

They spent the most time with each other, so it made sense.

It was also incredibly fun in Lacy's eyes. Parties where fun. Her siblings were super. So planning parties for them was super fun.

Lacy knew she wasn't the smartest person, but that logic seemed to check out.

Lyra put a stop to the more awesome suggestions if it exceeded the budget they had to adhere to, but it was still a blast.

The main problem here was that Lulu wasn't their sister.

The thing wasn't even human.

It was just a monster cooked up by my aunt Lisa in a creepy lab around the time she went crazy and put the family all at risk.

Her mom explained it to Lacy.

And her mom was the kindest woman Lacy knew so, she wouldn't tell Lacy this if she wasn't sure of it.

And every gross trick the thing proved her mom right.

But whenever she made a comment about it or noted how they shouldn't treat the thing as family, or pretend its' human people got angry, or sad.

Especially her dad.

Her dad once tried to get Lacy to hold the thing in the living room. She gently said she didn't want to.

She tried keeping up her smile.

But her dad tried putting the thing in her arms anyway. Her smile fell, and she backed away.

Her mom came in the room and saw what was happening she started screaming at her dad who started yelling back, Lulu growled like the monster it is which got dad trying to calm it down. The whole situation was all too much for Lacy to handle.

Lacy collapsed, put her hands over her ears to keep out the noise, and started crying.

Her mom was beside her sides in instant cradling, whispering her ear that she was ok and that everything was fine.

Her mom growled at her dad as he approached them, telling him he should put Lulu away.

It took a couple hours for her to cool down, her mom was right there beside her.

Her dad came by later to apologize and said he'd try to respect their feelings. He also said he hoped they change their mind,

They had such adverse reactions that made Lacy feel bad. Why couldn't they get it?

She was just telling the truth. But they didn't believe her.

That made no sense.

Lacy didn't like lying.

Lying made her feel bad because it seemed mean.

Lacy tried to be kind to people.

Being kind to people would make them want to be her friend. She would be friends with them if they were kind to her.

At least that's what she thought. Though others around her often said she took it too far.

For example, she used to give people hugs after the first meeting with no warning. It didn't seem to make as much as Lacy as it did others for a long time. She'd like it if someone gave her a hug. But she eventually learned that not everyone is comfortable with that.

She still tried to be kind, though.

So why would she lie about Lulu?

It didn't make sense to Lacy.

Again Lacy knew she wasn't that smart.

It always took her longer to get things like math or reading. Anything sport-related, she got down instantly, which got her mom excited, which got Lacy more excited.

But learning other types of things was harder, Lacy.

She often had to ask her siblings for help. Even most of the younger ones seemed smarter than her. They never seemed to struggle.

Before moving in with her siblings and dad, her mom was the only person who'd helped her out a lot in her school work at home. Lacy always felt terrible whenever she thought she was failing her mom.

Her mom never got mad with Lacy. Lacy's mom could be aggressive with everyone else, but she was always gentle with her.

Even in regards to sports. Lacy's mom would push Lacy as far as she could go because her mom believed in Lacy, but if she lost at a competition or game, she never made Lacy feel bad.

Her mom even took her out for ice-cream. They'd go over what Lacy's opponents did right, and then her mom would praise Lacy for all the stuff she did right, and her mom would say she was proud of Lacy for giving it her all.

The next competition or game she'd give her mom a better reason to be proud. She'd get better and win. And her mom would boast loudly that she knew Lacy would.

With other stuff, it never seemed like Lacy improved.

Her mom never got mad, however. But Lacy knew she couldn't be proud.

When they lived alone together with no one else to help out it took hours for her mom to explain a concept in school to Lacy, though her mom never showed an ounce of frustration.

Her mom said Lacy had autism, Dylesexia, Dyscalculia and some other learning disabilities which were hard to pronounce.

Her mom said she wasn't stupid; it just meant it'd be harder to get certain things than other people.

She still felt stupid, though.

But she knew she was right about this. Humans can't do what Lulu does. It was that simple. Like two plus two equals four.

So it was confusing why others couldn't get it.

She'd get more negative whenever she tried defending herself, and Lacy would feel even more terrible.

She expressed her feelings to her mom, her only ally in this.

Lacy thought she was in the right, but that didn't make her feel better. Hearing her mom reassure her, she was still right did.

Lacy's mom told her the truth can be unpopular. Lulu's subject would just be a thing that most of the family wouldn't agree with the mother and daughter.

Her mother told her that they only had to not talk about it.

It being Lulu.

If the thing was in the room, just try to ignore it. That was admittedly hard when it showed its' abilities.

If someone asked them to interact with it, just reassert they didn't have to.

She hoped Lincoln would feel the same way as her.

He even screamed at Lulu when it showed it showed its real face the second day it was over. She wanted to scream at Lulu in anger for scaring someone Lacy hoped to be friends with but held her tongue.

To her disappointment, Lincoln grew attached to Lulu.

Lacy didn't get it.

He was an awesome person, like her dad. But he doted on the thing, like her dad.

Lincoln even sought it out sometimes. Like today.

Lincoln never sought Lacy out. She thought he liked her. If he didn't, he would say no to when she asked him to play with her.

Though it looked like he may like Lulu more. And that hurt. Lulu didn't get discouraged, however. She knew she could win Lincoln. She just had to be nicer to him.

After twenty or so minutes, they finally stopped talking about the thing much to Lacy's relief.

Lacy then got a chance to speak. " I asked Maya to come over for dinner." she squealed in delight. Most of the other girl's coos of "ah" and "oh" accompanied her announcement.

Lemy gave her a thumbs up.

Lyle scribbled on the notepad. "Lacy's bringing home her girlfriend."

Lacy loved the fact others could say she had a girlfriend.

Lupa tapped her chin thoughtfully

"Hmm, things look to be pretty serious between you two. I think I'm going to have to scare Maya especially bad, so she knows not to take advantage of you sis."

Lacy gasped. "Please don't!" she said, clasping her hands together. Lacy really wanted Maya to see how awesome her family was.

"She the coolest, I swear."

Lupa quirked an eyebrow. "I thought I was the coolest," she said, sounding offended.

Lacy got flustered. "You're the coolest too," she quickly said, hoping to spare her white-haired sister's feelings.

"Lupa," Lyra said in a warning tone.

"You're no fun," the white-haired girl said towards their Christian sister. "Don't worry, Lace. I won't scare Maya any worse than I'd scare anyone else."

Lacy felt relieved. Normal Lupa was tremendous and manageable.

* * *

He decided he'd begin drawing something. A sketch for his next page on his webcomic series.

He decided to do this an hour ago.

He hadn't picked up any of the pencils he got out to make a line.

When he was younger, he didn't need much inspiration to draw something new.

Lulu was on the table, drawing something with her crayons with a look of a deep concentration.

He envied her.

The mutant stopped and got an in-depth and thoughtful look before nodding towards her drawing. She held up her work for Lincoln to see.

Lincoln smiled. "Wow, little Lu, that's fantastic!" he said.

The girl's eye's lit up with happiness, Which was a prettier picture than any drawing.

Though the drawing she made was pretty good.

At least for a baby, all things considered. Like a four-year-old good.

He actually did feel a measure of pride for the girl.

The drawing had a Lulu and most of her family. They were all holding hands with Lulu in the center, with her parents to her sides.

Lacy and Lynn were missing, though. Not surprising. He knew Lacy and Lynn's feelings towards the mutant. Lacy made a face of disdain whenever Lulu made a bizarre face at breakfast. Not just disgust. Active disdain. She never acknowledged the mutant when she came by to see him.

He talked to Lupa and Lemy about it. Apparently, Lynn-the the bitch that she is-didn't keep her mouth shut about her ideas concerning Lulu around Lacy.

He called Lily to see if he could or should do anything. She said they'd already tried everything to bring Lacy around on Lulu.

At best, tolerance could be shown.

It didn't seem ideal.

But Lulu didn't seem to pay attention to Lacy as well, so he decided not to push.

Lincoln turned to the blank white paper he hadn't begun working on.

"Got any ideas for me," he asked.

"Bah dada," Lulu offered hesitantly.

Lincoln had no idea what that meant. He didn't really need to. It was just good to have someone he could talk to.

"No, I'm the king of the Universe Ace Savvy. But I'll put your idea away for later," he said.

Lincoln gave the mutant a small smile and scratched her head. The girl's purrs were relaxing.

"What're two working on?" Lupa asked. She had a candy-cigarette in her mouth as she rested her head on his shoulder, and she peered down on the utterly blank piece of paper.

Lulu held up her creation with pride. "Bah!"

Lupa smiled. "Huh, you know that's pretty great. I mean, there's no blood or gore, but still pretty great."

Lulu smiled.

Lupa turned her gaze back on the white paper that starred mockingly at Lincoln.

"It's gonna be hard to top what the little abomination came up. What do you plan on drawing."

"Just you know, making a sketch for a new page for my webcomic. Something I could star for when I get back home," he then sighed. "Well, at least I'm trying to,"

"I stand by my earlier recommendation," the white-haired girl declared. She clapped one hand on the back of her other. "Have Abraham be eaten by cannibals" she then tapped her chin. "You know what you should make it clown-cannibals."

"I think my readers would find that a bit disappointing," Lincoln chuckled. Any person who had followed the series probably would be surprised he wasn't dead or given up on it.

The last email he got about it was a year ago.

He chose not to respond to it.

"It doesn't exactly line up with the story I have so far," Lincoln explained to the girl with a smirk.

"Exactly, the chumps will never see it coming. The best sorts of endings happen with no rhyme, reason, or any foreshadowing," Lupa said. She then shrugged. "Least it is to me. But then again, I love seeing others miserable."

"How awful of you."

"Thank you," she replied with a big smile.

She still seemed to buy into her earlier reasoning about why things have to turn out alright.

He still had his fears of never going home. But he's learned to not voice such around the children.

He's come to the realization Lisa would not lie to him and act like he'd for sure going home.

He could see the wisdom in her choice.

He'd probably still have his doubts and fears even she did decide to humor him.

And grow frustrated with the lack of seeing progress anyway.

He wasn't an optimist by nature.

It'd only been something he'd be able to grapple onto for a little while.

Most of the kids, however, continued to take comfort in Lupa's reasoning.

He didn't particularly like the prospect of hurting them by explaining why it was so flawed.

He didn't know if Lisa's approach was the right one for the kids. It was the right one for him, but he was a grown man; thus, he was more used to disappointment.

He didn't want to fight about, however. It just seemed dredging it up couldn't really lead to anything good, or make his continued stay here more comfortable.

And he's already stayed far longer than he'd prefer.

Lincoln,didn't particularly like the chance of sticking around here forever. But there weren't a lot of options to get out of it. Well, not many good options that didn't involve a bullet or a sturdy rope.

He could leave the house and try charting his own course, quit the job at the Burping burger, and just go.

But where would he go?

This house was the closest thing he had to his own home.

And What could he do? He'd like to say he'd begin drawing for money again, but it'd be a while before he could scrounge up the connections he'd need not to be homeless.

Even in his own world before getting his house he was barely managed to keep a apartment.

He feard the prospect of starting a comic or working on Ace-Savvy comic only to be ripped away from it due to being transported back home. Leaving his perverted counterpart to take all the credit for his work.

The thought of it sickened him. His work was his. Good or bad, it was his.

Lulu scrambled into his lap and cuddled against his chest.

Lincoln petted her.

He may also feel a little bad just leaving the kids.

"Though if consistency and telling a cohesive narrative and actually being good matters to you so much, maybe it'd help you to tell me the story you're making. I mean, I remember the general premise, but I don't know maybe you could tell me a little more about it. So I know what point you got stuck on," Lupa said, rubbing the back of her neck. "I mean if you want. It doesn't really matter to me."

Lincoln shrugged. "I guess it couldn't hurt. You might want to sit down. It's a long story."

Lupa took a seat right beside him.

For the next hour, Lincoln talked about his story and went over in-depth details about the world, various characters, and plot-points he'd made.

Lupa listened intently, she asked him about specific details, on characters, on creatures, on world-building a lot of which Lincoln himself forgot.

After getting caught up with everything, Lupa began giving ideas.

Many of them were actually good.

Over the next couple of hours, he began sketching the ideas he and she bounced off the other.

He planned on making a sketch for one page.

He made five.


	12. A Sinful Hope

**_A/N_**** Hey if you Fav or follow the story, I'd love it if you could leave a review. Thank you**

**I am in my twenties and I'm going bald.**

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"Heya," Lincoln cheerily said to Lisa as she worked on the machine that was to bring him home. He carried a plate of the chicken casserole he cooked. Typically Clyde cooked dinner, but he felt like doing something useful tonight. Lincoln missed having a job. Not just at the Burpin Burger, but as a father and homemaker. There was always something that needed cleaning that needed fixing, children who needed to be cheered up back home. Here he had very little to do. The house was almost empty save for Lincoln, Clyde, and Lisa, so it didn't need much maintenance, and they tended to keep their distance from him.

His counter-part from the work Lincoln has seen was a pretty awesome comic-book artist—an actual professional whose job Lincoln couldn't do. Lincoln just drew in his free time to make simple art-illustrations for his younger kids.

Lincoln loved the Normal Abe webcomic series his counter-part put out. He was instantly hooked when he found it and spent a couple days reading it. Since the white-haired man had no job, Lincoln had plenty of time to get to the last page. He was massively disappointed that his counter-part hadn't finished it, meaning Lincoln probably would never have learned how Abraham's journey ended. He was also sorry that he couldn't help keep the guy's professional obligations. He would if he could, but he just couldn't.

However, he could make sure this universe's Lisa wouldn't waste away while trying to fix the situation. He'd want the same treatment for his Lisa, after all.

Even in this universe, it looked like Lisa Loud was ever steadfast in her goals to the point where'd she'd forget normal things that concern most people like eating. And although he much appreciated the goal, she was trying to reach-that be to return him to his world-he knew it couldn't be done if she starved herself to death. He also didn't want the small woman needlessly hurt in general. She may have not have been his beloved little genius, but she was still a person.

"Hello," she replied coldly.

"I brought dinner," Lincoln said before setting the plate of food he cooked on Lisa's desk.

"Thank you," said before turning back to her work.

Lincoln kept his smile. "No problem. I know how hard you're working, and I admire it, but remember not to neglect yourself, and if you need anything, call me."

"Your offer is duly noted," Lisa replied curtly as she continued to tinker on the machine that brought him in this universe.

"So any idea for when you could get me back," Lincoln asked. In a couple weeks, Lulu's birthday would come by, and Lincoln would hate to miss it. Well, technically, it wouldn't be her birthday. His Lisa made Lulu in a lab, and the exact point on where'd she'd considered alive was a question even his Lisa was hard-pressed to answer.

So Lincoln and the family celebrated the day his Lisa had brought the adorable little mutant to the family house, which was the day before she'd get arrested. Before that day, It'd been quite a while since his Lisa made contact with her siblings. Lincoln didn't know if she was hurt, dead, or if she was okay. He, along with the rest of the family, was worried about her. His little genius came back a day before she'd be arrested carrying Lulu on her shoulders.

His Lisa actually didn't say anything for a moment when he answered the door. They just stared at each other. He broke the silence when he said he was glad she was home. His little sister then began crying, saying she was sorry about leaving the family. Lulu got a distressed look and tried patting her mother on the head to comfort her. Lincoln immediately took his Lisa in his arms and ushered her in the house, saying he forgave, that she was loved, he was so glad he was okay. After a minute, she calmed down. She took Lulu from her shoulders and said she was his daughter. At that time, the news of another child would generally excite him, but he was more confused. Lisa had been gone a couple and hadn't been pregnant the last time he saw her.

She explained she had used a mixture of his own DNA in the experiment used to make Lulu. Her greatest creation. His Lisa said she joined up with the group dealing with chemical weapons because they were able to get her the other material need to make Lulu.

He asked her why she did such a thing. If she wanted a baby, that bad he'd give her one.

She was embarrassed to reveal she'd been barren. This was a way for her to give a gift to Lincoln and the family.

If the government got their hands on Lulu, his Lisa feared she'd never see the bundle of joy again. They'd tear Lulu apart mentally and physically to learn how she was made.

When Lisa put the mutant in Lincoln's arms, he knew he'd rather die than for something like to happen.

"Soon. I will and can bring my brother home," she answered. It was the same general reply she'd given every time he'd ask.

Lisa was utterly confident in her ability to fix this entire mess.

"Ah, well, that's great," he said. He had been hearing he'd be going back soon home for months, "but could I ask how soon?"

"Soon," Lisa replied simply.

"But_."

"Lincoln, I earned my Ph.D. in theoretical physics when I was a toddler," Lisa interrupted, "I will get my brother back because I love the man. If you are inquiring for an exact time, I cannot reasonably expect to give that to you. Simply take solace in the knowledge it will be soon."

His smile became just a little harder to keep up.

Lincoln gave the genius a thumbs up anyway. "I believe you," he had to believe her, "I'm just feeling a little antsy is all. My youngest girl's birthday is coming up."

Lisa did not respond as she continued to work.

"I think you'd really like her if you ever met her," he continued. "Like she got my Lisa's good looks," he chuckled, "which I guess are your good looks. She's also brilliant, like you. Her powers are just flat-out awesome. I like to think I'm raising a super_."

"Lincoln," Lisa interjected "I feel there'd no possible benefit to be reminded of your...relationship with my universal counter-part," Lisa interrupted. "It gives attention to the fact that you are a pedophile and thus makes our current living arrangement that much more uncomfortable."

Lincoln's smile fell just a tad. He scratched his neck.

"Well, I don't identify as that_."

"You've had sexual relations with children as young as ten while you were a fully legal adult, or on the cusp of being such. By any commonly recognized definition of the word in the developed world, you are a pedophile," she explained calmly.

Lincoln's smile dropped a little bit more. "It has a lot of negative connotations," he tried parsing out. "Like calling a gay guy the f-word. It's an ugly slur for people whose interests are a little atypical."

Lisa looked at him in total revulsion. "What you are and what you have done is not analogous to people whose attraction merely skews towards those of the same sex. The act of raping a child is no way morally equivalent to consenting acts between individuals of the same sex having sexual relations. The insinuation is a massive insult to the people who suffered and died at the hands of homophobia. My sister Luna and her wife would be horrified at the suggestion that you-a pedophile-are any way like them. Given that they have daughters of their own, they probably would resolve to counter your baseless claim with aggressive force."

Lincoln's smile fell. "I never raped anyone. I teach my girls their bodies are their's alone. Everything me and my sisters have done has been consensual," Lincoln explained rapidly. Two of Lincoln's sisters had actually been raped, though he didn't feel comfortable spreading the knowledge without their consent. Luna was assaulted in jail by fellow inmates and a guard. She said she barely recalled due to being so liquored up back then, but Lincoln wondered if she just didn't want to. Lola had been assaulted during her job as sex-worker multiple times. By her former pimp, and by some of her clients.

Lola said the men who attacked her weren't really interested in sex. They just wanted to hurt her and break her.

Lola said that gave her motivation for her to live a long and happy life. She would not let any of them break her.

But Lincoln knew they'd hurt her.

Lincoln never wanted to hurt anyone like that. Least of all his sisters.

And he knew his older sisters wouldn't want to hurt him like that.

"Children are not able to give consent to have sexual intercourse with adults," Lisa said with a note of hostility in her voice,

"The cognitive ability of eleven-year-old is not to the level of a person in their late teens or older. It is in no way an equal paradigm. There is a reason our justice system does not give voting rights to children. Or allow them to choose to work in factories instead of going to school. "

Lincoln felt himself getting heated. This could only end in a screaming match, so he decided to take the high road.

He took a deep breath and then got a smile again. "Let's agree to disagree."

Lisa did not respond; she just turned back to her work.

Lincoln proceeded to go back up the stairs.

He saw Clyde sitting at the kitchen table in front of a laptop with papers s the house bills to its side.

He waved to the big man.

Lincoln knew Clyde saw him but chose not to respond.

The Clyde in Lincoln's universe had been a valued child-hood friend. Although the two weren't close as they grew into adulthood.

Which for Lincoln started when he became a father at the age of twelve. Though his sisters never asked for it, he tried to help them out in any little way he could, such as watching their babies or getting a job to help give them support.

There is far less time to be a kid when you're raising kids.

They'd had remained affable acquaintances, mostly due to the friendship Liby and his Clyde's foster son had.

This universe's Lisa and Clyde were no warmer to him than she'd been since the first day.

It was, unfortunately, not surprising. After the white-haired man became conscious after being shot, Lincoln gave away everything, thinking he was talking to his Lisa. She hounded him for details of his family.

Hearing his tale, Lisa viewed him as a child-molester. She elected to share the knowledge with Clyde, who thought similarly.

He tried not to judge them harshly for their ignorance.

They were products of their environment that still heavily discriminated against and persecuted sexual minorities such as Lincoln and his sisters.

Many of his sisters accepted this notion that society must always be like that, but Lincoln was an optimist.

He had to believe things could get better. That they would.

Lincoln wasn't blind to the fact the reverse could happen.

He knew from personal experience that things could get a lot worse when they seemed to be going so well.

For example, when Lincoln and his sisters started to share their interests with Lily when she turned 11-years old, about the time his older sisters began the activities with him. Lola had actually begun grooming the girl, getting her situated, and gaging her limits. If Lily wasn't interested, Lola would back off, of course. Again everything they were doing was consensual, But Lily unsurprisingly and delightfully turned out to be like her siblings. Lola would be the one to give Lily her first kiss and be the first person she had made love to. Eventually, all her siblings would have a turn with her.

He would be the last one to have sex with her shortly before the secret was discovered.

He'd also be the one to accidentally almost ruin everything.

At Thanksgiving, he'd accidentally left his phone on the couch.

Unfortunately, his parents had been the ones to find it and saw a text message from Lola that was very salacious, to say the least.

It didn't help that they'd rightly guessed his password: Bill Buck's birthday. He knew he should've been more original.

His parents had started combing other text messages he had stupidly not delated over the years and found everything.

Text messages left a trail. It's why Lori told him and his sisters never to text his sisters about their antics. For a couple years, they did follow this rule. But then they got a little too confident and relaxed their guard.

When he came back for his phone, his parents pleaded for an explanation for what they had seen. For about a minute, he didn't say anything. When he opened his mouth, he just told the truth; it was love. His father enraged tackled Lincoln to the ground screaming that Lincoln was a pervert that should be castrated.

Lincoln was not violent. He knew someone in his place may have felt shame or fear, but when his father was pounding on his head, he felt rage.

Rage at the world for being what it was, rage at his father for not accepting him, and rage at the injustice of it all.

Lincoln beat his father. At somepoint, he'd even found his hands clutching around his father's neck. Hard. Lincoln let loose all his frustration at the whole absurdity of the world onto the greying old man that had raised him. He didn't know how far he'd go if his mother wasn't there. It was self-defense. He knew this. But he didn't like the idea he may have killed his father.

His parents said he'd need to get as far away as Royal Woods as he could else they would call the police.

He did what they commanded. He'd drop out of the college he was attending given it was too close to home and without his parent's support anymore, not affordable.

He joined up as a Volunteer for Graceful Charity. The organization helped war-torn, poverty-stricken countries around the globe. Building houses, handing out food, giving whatever aid the region was sorely lacking they did. During that period, Lincoln saw many beautiful and horrific things.

He saw great souls put everything they'd have in the pursuit of helping their fellow man.

He saw people from the countries he visited to be able to find comfort in hell.

He also saw the worst of hell. He saw people coming to the camps of Graceful Charity seeking medical attention for horrific violence enacted upon them. Missing limbs, missing skin from being melted or cut off, girls who'd been raped, coming immediately after their assault hoping to avoid pregnancy.

He saw evil. It reaffirmed to his belief that what he and his sisters were doing could not be evil.

Evil has victims who suffered.

When he had sex with one of his sisters, no one ever screamed in horror or pain.

There could be a lot of screaming-but they'd be screams of pleasure. This was especially so when they had a good ole orgy, like the ones they always had on the valentine's day. They'd hire a babysitter to look after the kids and meet up at one of the apartments and just have a fabulous time. Lizy was actually conceived in the first one they hadd when they all got back together. Nine months later-right on Leia's birthday, Lizy popped into the world. When Leia got to hold Lizy, she thanked, as if her sister was a birthday present just for Leia.

Clearly, no one was suffering because of what they were doing.

No one Lincoln thought could rationality could look at these things and conclude that what Lincoln and his sisters were doing was evil.

But bigotry does not rely on rationalism. It relies on feelings of hatred and fear of the different.

He refused to believe hatred and fear would win; he believed love would triumph in the end.

Society was plastic. It could bend. And it has bent in favor of sexual-minorities before.

A hundred years ago, a black man and a white woman getting together could have led both getting lynched in many parts of America. Because negroes and whites shouldn't be together, society cried. It's unnatural.

A few decades ago. A guy kissing another guy outside a bar would likely have lead to them getting their head smashed in and have their killers go free. Because men can't be with men, women cant be with women. It's unnatural.

It was only around 2003 did the US supreme court stopped any state from jailing people for same-sex activity. His own state of Michigan had still had such laws on their state books.

But things did change. It's no longer illegal or a death sentence in America for a black guy to kiss a white woman or for a guy to kiss a guy.

Hell Lincoln himself even had sex with guys in his younger days when he had more energy for such escapades. A lot of the guys he hooked up with were also not white. And although mostly went on the giving end, Lincoln sometimes went on the receiving end. He identified as mostly straight, but it was fun to play for the other team now and again. Also, the videos Lincoln sometimes made of it were also something his sisters could masturbate to or look at when they had sex. Luan, in particular, liked it whenever he put a video of him topping a big black bear. Mostly because of the jokes she could make about it.

Lincoln dreamed of a day where'd it'd turn in favor of the Louds.

Things could change. In 1800s, the age of consent for most states was literally ten. It moved up. Whose to say it can't move back down? And that society could recognize what he and sisters had was never rape.

He believed that someday he wouldn't be labeled a predator, someone only concerned with their pleasure.

It simply didn't fit who he was. He even did research to see how best to bring his partner's pleasure. A lot of people believe sex for girls is supposed to hurt the first time with a guy due to breaking their hymen—anyone who knows what the hymen actually knows that's a myth.

He suspected it got started to scare girls into remaining chaste.

Lincoln also learned a girl or woman tighter does not mean a girl or woman is having a great time. Quite the opposite. Loose means a body is experiencing pleasure.

If he was a predator, would he care to learn about this stuff? Proabaly not.

He believed society would someday recognize that what Lincoln and his sisters' had was not exploitive, or some weird kink.

Lincoln wasn't narcissistic enough to think this entire thing was about him. People may look at the arrangement and think all sisters were in love with him. Because he's the guy so they must all be clamoring for his log. Not true. They were in love with each other.

Even Lynn adored Lisa before Lulu. They fought and argued, of course, but they loved each other. The sport's obsessed woman had been hurt at small genius' leaving without warning. She saw it as breaking the promise they'd all made to be there for each other. And thought her creation of Lulu as saying all the kids that she was supposed to see as her sons and daughters weren't good enough to the point where'd she do something that would put them all at risk. Lincoln believed Lisa feared she wasn't good enough, but Lynn felt what she felt.

He hoped the two could reconcile. He believed they would.

He believed one day, he could be called dad in public.

He was an optimist. He couldn't help it.

And he didn't _want_ to.

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_**A/N**_

_**What Jokes do you think Luan would have of Lincoln shacking up with a big black bear?**_

_**First one that comes to mind. "That bear looks like he has a taste for white rabbit."**_


	13. What's so Funny?

_**A/N You k**_**now you should be reading "A house divided" or "Family Matters" great stories featuring the sin kids that don't get near enough attention. They're way better than this.**

**Atheius glad you're thinking. **

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"Good morrow, my disciples. Thou may be taken note of my unusual fashion,"Luan pronounced in her best Scottish accent. Which was also the voice she used when she mimicked Shreck, not the one from the live-action remakes of course. She wore a big fake red-beard and a wig that went to her shoulders, a green tunic, and a brown cape. In her arms, she carried a box. "Wherefore would I wear such garb? Because tis the day, thou will learn of the barb, William Shakespeare. And I have chosen to dress the part of one of his most famous characters: Macbeth."

"Wasn't Macbeth a guy," one of her students muttered.

"Thou speaketh the truth. As so was the actor who played Macbeth's wife. I'm sure he was a fair man for his time, so he pulled it off. I doth not want to toot my own horn, but methinks I am a handsome woman so I could play a man just as well."

The class giggled at the reply.

The performance was off to a good start.

"But seriously-well as seriously as you can get in here-can anyone tells me why Lady Macbeth was played by a man?" Luan asked her classroom.

Stephnie, to no one's surprise, was the first one to raise her hand.

Luan called on her.

"Because playacting was one of many professions deemed unsuitable for women," Stephnie replied promptly and clearly. It was the right answer. But it wasn't the funniest answer.

"Well, that's the publicly stated reason, of course. Though I just think actors just wanted to hog all the fair boys to themselves," Luan proposed. The explanation got everyone chuckling.

"See kids here's the fun thing about acting; everyone could be anyone, and anyone could be anything. Men could play ladies, and ladies can play men. So for this class, I'm going to play a treasonous, murderous Scottish general. I already grew out this fabulous beard, so I basically have to," she brushed, said beard with her fingertips to enunciate her point. Her audience giggled once more.

"Now I maybe treasonous, and murderous, and worst of all Scottish, but that doesn't mean I'm not generous," she set the box down, opened, and got out two other wigs and hats from it. "Today we'll be reenacting some of the barb's most famous scenes, from Hamlet. For anyone interested in being apart of it, you can take some props to better immerse yourself to your roles."

"If we're doing Hamlet, why are you dressed up as Macbeth?" Stephnie asked quizzically.

Luan shrugged. "Like I said, I grew out this beard. So might as well be Macbeth,"

And with that, the class laughed again. Stephnie, along with four other students, would be picked for the assignment, which elicited a few groans of jealousy.

It wasn't a comedy store or Acme, but Luan felt proud nonetheless to get such reactions. Luan profoundly believed bored students made poorer students. If she could get them laughing about the material, she could get them engaged with it. If she gets them engaged, maybe they could learn something and see school doesn't have to be a bummer, that learning doesn't have to be a chore. Comedy made things a little less crummy.

There was this one boy she had that she had that was always a troublemaker, did terrible in most of his classes. He was always trying to be the classclown-but his little routine got in her class because she was the class clown.

For every joke he tried, Luan would make a better one to get the attention of her audience right back on her. Pretty soon he became a heckler trying to undercut Luan's act. When that didn't work he just started laughing along, and actually learning and then cracking jokes with Luan during class. That boy emailed Luan last year saying he got into Harvard and thanked Luan for inspiring him to do better. Luan replied he did the work-as he always could.

After class, which came out of the onset of Lunch Luan, got out the sandwich, she packed and began eating in the classroom.

Some of her students and former students came by a few minutes later to hang out. She made no explicit invitation for this. One kid started showing up one day; she didn't tell him to leave, and eventually, more and more came by. So long as they picked up after themselves, and didn't get too loud, Luan thought it was fine.

Stephnie always brought six or so girls to her class, each wearing their blue-bell outfits.

They never ate or talked. The girls just stood on alert. Stephnie said they were her bodyguards. She revealed there'd been attempts by her rivals to cause her public embarrassment that necessiated them. She never named names, but Luan thought she mostly did this because of Leia. Luan liked that her classroom was a spot they felt so comfortable with they'd come back to just to hangout.

Luan wanted to build the student-teacher relationship where kids could know she's there for them. Sometimes they confided in her some of their personal problems. Most times, it wasn't anything significant. Other times, it was a bit more serious.

Last week when Stephnie talked about her pig having to have surgery. Luan could tell beneath the attempt at nonchalance she was anxious about her pet. Thankfully the old bacon pulled through with no complications.

"My little cousin moved in with me and my family yesterday," Stephnie said as she smacked down on her pizza. She sat near Luan's desk as she usually did during class.

"Oh, that's interesting," Luan responded after swallowing a bite of her sandwich. "Are you two close?"

Stephnie smiled and nodded. "Like two peas in a pod. She's been looking up to me since her folks used to bunk down with mine. When she got scared, she ran to me plenty of times, even when adults were around. Like if a spider was creeping around, she'd know I'd deal with the critter. She wouldn't tell me to stomp on it, the girl's too sweet. She just wanted me to take it outside. Or if she had a nightmare, she could crawl in my bed, so she could feel safe. I love her," Stephnie explained softly and fondly.

Stephnie then got a hard look. "But I don't exactly like what's causing her to come back over. Her ma, my no-good aunt, ditched her. Katie's Pa's in prison and will be lucky to get out before I have grey hair," Stephnie growled and bared her teeth like a wild dog. "They were always trouble, always stealing from my folks and getting into fights and always thinking the sun only comes up for them. I won't ever miss the leeches, but I know Katie is, and I wanna cheer her up, and I don't know how, and that's freaking nerve-wracking," Stephnie huffed out.

Luan nodded as she finished the last bite of her sandwich.

"I understand. Stephnie. I wanna say good on you for looking out for Katie. First, when she talks about her parents; try not to condemn them_."

"They abandoned her,' Stephnie interrupted in anger, "Mrs. Loud they're snakes in the grass, and my cuz deserved better. Like she's the sweetest thing you'll ever meet. I don't want her to feel bad about em when they don't deserve it."

Luan held up her hands, hopefully in a placating manner. "She deserves better parents. Not gonna dispute that. But hardly anyone likes being told that their parents were scumbags. I think Katie will grow-up and discover this for herself. But for now, just make clear she's not at fault for their actions. That she's absolutely fine. But don't talk over her when she's discussing her problems. When she's discussing feeling pain over what happened, make clear it's ok for her to feel this way,"

"But I don't want her to feel that," Stephnie said in irritation.

"But she does, "Luan continued without missing a beat.

"She's been hurt, and it's healthy to acknowledge such pain when you're hurt and have your loved ones validate you instead of saying you shouldn't be feeling it," Luan explained. "Do you think what I'm saying makes sense?"

Stephnie gave a reluctant nod.

"Another important thing is to reassure her that she doesn't have to go through this again. That she'll have her big, strong cousin is watching out for her."

"Mrs. Loud. I'm ready to fight anything or anyone that'd try messing with Katie, or try to take her away from me" Stephnie said with utter confidence.

Luan gave a soft smile. "I have no doubts,"

The Bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. "Thanks for the advice, Mrs. Loud; I promise I'll keep it in mind." with that, the Bluebell and her entourage left Luan's room.

Luan hoped Stephnie and Leia were 'enemies,' but the girl was never disrespectful or let the little feud get in the way of her classwork. Hell, she was always one of the most engaged students in her class.

The girl even had a little crush on Luan. Pretty blatant about it too. She'd always brung Luan apples at least once a week. That could be chalked up to typical to teacher pet behavior. But then she'd occasionally bring in flowers, and some romantic poems she'd say wanted Luan's feedback on. Whenever she finished reading one, Stephnie scanned Luan's face as if searching for validation and reciprocation.

Luan would just give a comforting smile, and say it was really nice, but nothing more.

Obviously, Luan couldn't return that level of affection.

Not because of anything wrong with Stephnie.

Stephnie was cute. The whole girl scout thing was quite sexy, really. Luan used to have Lola and Lana dress up in their blue scout uniforms when they were around that age during some roleplay sessions. Stephanie was dramatic but in a funny way. The kind of girl Luan would like to shack up with. In another life, in a better setting and a more fun society, she may have acted on her attraction.

But reality was what it was.

The first barrier was obviously Stephnie's age.

Stephnie was elven-years old. Old enough in Luan's eyes, but not old enough in the law's eyes for some arbitrary reasons.

If Luan accepted Sethpnie's offer for a more adventurous relationship and they were found out, Luan would get put into the slammer, and Stephnie's would be made to feel a victim by a bigoted society that wants her to feel like a victim. It was genuinely too much of a risk. Any entanglements with minors outside the family were.

It's part of the reason why Luan and siblings kept it to people they loved and trusted enough to take such a risk. It was also easier to make sure the younger party didn't make a mistake and blow the whole lid off the entire thing.

But even in a world that didn't think children were idiots, recognized they could be seen as sexual creatures, Luan would not pursue Stephanie. The girl was one of her students. It'd be like a prison guard trying to get with a prisoner, or a parent fucking their child. The power-dynamic is way too skewed. If a guard hits on you and doesn't you don't return the affection, it could mean he makes your life hell while serving your time. Luna once discloses to her how some prison guards would put a people in Solitary, for not fucking a guard. They'd conjure up some bullshit excuse for it, but the message was always evident and any guard who'd hit on an inmate

Fuck me, or I hurt you. Rape.

Sometimes, they just took what they by physical force anyway confident the woman wouldn't speak up.

If a parent hits on one of their kids, the kid has to worry about being abandoned if they don't return the affection, or possibly worse. It was exploitative.

A teacher-student relationship was exploitative too.

As a mother of eleven beautiful children the thought of a child _actually _being abused infuriated her.

There was nothing _funny_ about abusing children.

* * *

Today Lacy's PE class ran the mile. She finished doing it in six minutes, and she was the first to finish like she always was. A lot of other kids were taller than her, had a longer stride, but they still couldn't keep up with her. She kept on running.

PE was her favorite regular class. Because it was the only one where she didn't feel dumb during it. Things were simple.

She knew how to catch or throw a ball, do stretches, and push-ups and run.

Lacy didn't attend normal classes in most periods.

She mainly went to a special class, which was much nicer.

There weren't any tests for one thing.

Or much homework. Lacy and her classmates also got to go to lunch first, and they'd put on a movie every day at it while they ate, and her teacher was super nice.

Everyone got a chance to share what was going on with their lives at the beginning of each morning too.

Lacy loved that part. She never failed to share.

They'd also write in journals about their thoughts and feelings or their thoughts on a topic. That was a little harder. But she got through that too.

But the main thing the class rewarded was acting good. There was a leveling system where the higher you go, the more privileges you'd get. One of which was getting to go to normal classes.

Lacy liked being good, so she moved up quickly. Eventually, she began taking on regular classes. First, Lacy took the gym because she was good at that. But everything else seemed unappealing to her, so she waited a lot longer to try them out.

She'd eventually take on math and English, but doing more than that seemed scary, and she wanted some room for the one class she did well in besides gym. She was good at her regular class.

She was never loud when other students were yelling.

She always raised her hand, and the workload was manageable enough that she could handle it without help-mostly.

She felt normal there. She probably was one of the best students because all the other students were always loud and not listening to the teacher and the aids, and being mean.

She felt normal in gym class, too, though. No one could call her slow, and she may have been small, but she was strong like her mom.

By her third mile, the class began to come close, so Lacy did a slight walk before, starting her after stretches.

Maya, the greatest, most awesome girlfriend, Lacy, has ever had came by huffed and weezed as she stopped behind Lacy. Maya was fast but she could never keep up with Lacy.

Sometimes Lacy tried to slow down, so to make her long-nosed girlfriend to feel better but Maya always noticed, and told Lacy to go her normal speed. Maya said she wanted to be able to keep up with Lacy on her own merit.

"You know the best thing about never being able to catch up with you is the great view." she said in a flirtutous voice.

Maya then laughed. Lacy laughed too. She didn't get the joke. But Maya was laughing so she must've said something funny.

"Sorry, that sounded so freaking lame," Maya snickered as Lacy began a thigh stretch. "Like I spent the entire period thinking of a pickup line to sweep you off your feet, and that's the best I could come up with?"

"No, it sounded it really cool!" Lacy responded immediately.

She didn't know why Maya thought what she said was lame.

But Lacy never wanted her girlfriend to feel bad.

Maya always hated it when Lacy felt bad. When someone said something mean about Lacy, like calling her a retard, which a lot of people have done, Maya would get super confrontational and even got some them to apologize to Lacy and punch them if they didn't.

That'd be the reaction from Lemy and Lupa too, though Lupa tended to just punch.

But when she was alone and being picked on Lacy typically just smiled. She figured if she smiled at whoever was being mean to her they would see she was friendly and want to be her friend-who wouldn't want another friend?

It made sense to Lacy.

It never happened like that though for some reason.

But a lot of the time, she kept smiling, hoping she'd make herself happy.

* * *

Lincoln sipped his beer while he cradled Lulu in his other arm. The two were binging Ace Savvy: the animated series from the 90s, on Netflix.

The two just finished one of Lincoln's favorite episodes. The savviest crime fighter had to team up with an old actor that played a superhero that inspired him as a kid, the Red dice.

The episode Savvy feels all that more relatable, knowing he was a fanboy too.

He heard a knock on the door. He paused his show.

"Come in," Lincoln said.

Lacy popped in with a smile. "Hey, Lincoln, Maya will be here in a minute or two. Can you come to the living room?" Lacy asked with a hopeful smile

Lincoln scratched Lulu head before letting her go. "See you in a few little Lu," he told the baby.

"Love Dada," she giggled.

"King of the multiverse Ace Savvy, and you're alright too," Lincoln responded. Obviously Lulu couldn't be introduced to Lacy's girlfriend given the lack of control her abilities.

Lulu disappeared whenever someone who wasn't related to the family came over. Lisa explained that she programmed Lulu to avoid those who weren't a member of the family and never leave the house unless it had became unsafe for her to stay in or she was ordered to by Lisa, her sisteres or her brother. said she'd remove the programming when Lulu seemed to have complete control of her abilities, and thus be trusted to go out into the public without such a collar. But for now, the little mutant retreated into the dark basement with her mom.

"I mean, she's just so amazing," Lacy said going into a tangent on how great her girlfriend.

She made it a point to talk about how even her mom thought she was a great athlete as if Lincoln cared about what Lynn thought.

Though a question did slip in his head. Lacy idolized Lynn.

"Don't you want your mom here?" Lincoln asked Lacy bringing her tangent to a halt. Her smile dropped a little.

"I thought it'd be less you know awkward with her around, you know?" Lacy explained while rubbing her neck. "My mom's still a little mad at you. I mean, she'll definitely like you like I do when she calms down because you're super awesome, but I think it' d be a little while longer for her. I just don't want well, you know." Lacy seemed to be struggling to find the right words, but Luan gleamed the meaning enough.

"I get it, Lace," Lincon said. And he did get it. Lynn would probably be growling and shooting him murderous looks the entire night she'd be there, which would likely prompt Lincoln to do likewise.

Lacy's smile widened. "Thanks,"

In the living room the family had gathered with the exception of Lisa and Lulu. The family just watched tv, waiting for the guest to arrive.

A few minutes later the door bell ran

The girl was a tall ginger with a pointy nose like her mother from what Lincoln remembered of her.

"It's privelage for you guys to have me over," she then walked up to Lincoln.

"Its' nice to meet you Mr. Loud " Maya said while offering her hand.

Lincoln took it. The handshake was firm, but not a vice-like grip and Maya held a small smile as she gazed into his eyes.

"Eh, no one calls me 'Mr' anything, kid. Just call me Lincoln. " he responded candidly.

"Ok, Lincoln," Maya said before letting his hand go."Lacy's told me a lot about you."

"Hopefully lies," Lincoln said.

Lacy eyes widened. "I wouldn't lie about you," Lacy said worriedly.

"She told me you're a great man," Maya said.

"Ah, that's nice. Not true, but still nice."

"But you are great; you're really cool and hilarious and kind!" she rushed out.

"Eh, I'll take your word for all that kid," Lincoln responded.

Lacy nodded and got a smile back on her face.

Maya then offered it to Luan. The teacher smiled.

"You could call me Luan," before she could clutch the girl's palm, Maya grabbed the woman's palm and flipped it over.

A buzzer laid in it.

Groans and mockery of the attempt at a prank were thundered in the room.

Maya grinned wider. "Lacy told me a lot about you too, so I thought you'd pull something like this."

Luan grinned. "I like this one. Lacy. You got my permission to marry her."

Lacy turned scarlet. "Aunt Luan, I really like her, I mean she's perfect but I'm not ready for something like marriage!"

Lupa gave her sister a disapproving look. "Ah, Lacy, you can't be afraid to commit."

Somehow Lacy turned even red; she opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Maya patted her on the shoulder. "Lacy, they're joking."

"Oh," Lacy expunged, losing some of her red hues.

She then got a big smile. "Good joke, guys," she said honestly.

The family went to the dinner table soon after. Maya proved to be very sociable, eagerly talking to all the family about themselves, cracking jokes, and just being a positive guest.

When dinner was over, Lincoln thought the girl alright.

Lacy gave the girl one last hug before her ride picked her. "Thanks for having me over," Maya said, "Let's do this sort of thing at my place next time,"

Maya gave Lacy a peck on the cheek before bowing out.

Lacy sighed fondly. She turned to Lincoln. "Maya's really great, huh? You liked her, right?" she more begged than asked.

"She seems like a fine girl Lace," Lincoln said.

"She's great, and I know she really liked you," Lacy said.

"I'll take your word on that," Lincoln responded.

"Awesome!" Lacy cheered.

"Dada!" Lulu's rumbled as she waddled towards them.

Lacy's smile went down a little. "Well, really glad you were so cool with Maya Lincoln-not that you're never cool, but you know. You're awesome." Lacy said as she began her trek away from him.

When Lacy went up stairs Lincoln gave a slight whistle, and the Lulu launched herself towards him. He caught and gently rocked her against his chest.

"You know I thought you were gonna try scaring Lacy's little girlfriend. You know play the tough dad," Luan said from behind him."It may have been a little funny."

Lincoln grimaced at the notion. "I'm not her dad, and even I was, I wouldn't be like that. If Lacy wants to date, that's her business. I mean, obviously, if the person she's seeing treats her right. So long as they make Lacy happy its', not my business."

* * *

**_A/N_**

**_Edits:_**

**Author note here kinda rambled**


	14. A Concert to Forget

**A/N Hey um I don't know if that'll help but maybe looked up the song "Everybody has a reason to live while reading this? I was listening to this while I made this.**

* * *

"Wanna lose again, Lem?" Lincoln asked the young metalhead. The two were playing 'Deadly Fighting XXI.'

It was Saturday and Lincoln's day off work. So far, its' been a decent day all things considered.

Liena was experimenting on some new omelet dishes, and they were just spectacular.

He got into an hour-long debate with Loan about various geek trivia ranging from comics to movies again. A lot of what Loan was wrong, and it was still very much fun to show she was wrong. She'd occasionally bring up a point that Lincoln hadn't considered or, at the very least, saw the wisdom in. The cherry on top would be the fact today was the day of the Smooch concert he'd be looking forward. He gave one of the tickets to Lily, who'd accompany him.

"This time, I'm gonna win," he said confidently.

"Hmm, nope,"Lincoln turned his gaze to the baby in his lap. "Right, little Lu?" he asked.

The mutant vigorously nodded her head and bounced up and down with a smile. "Right Dada beat Lemy."

Lincoln chuckled and patted her on the head. " I'm ultimate Ace Savvy, king of the Savvy verse. But you're right about me being right. You can never be wrong about me being right."

Lemy snickered. "But, you're about to be proven wrong now."

Lincoln sighed exaggeratedly. "I'm going to enjoy beating you, boy."

"You know all this talk of beating children sounds really wholesome," a voice piped in, spooking everyone on the couch. Lincoln turned and saw Lupa sitting next to him with a candy cigarette dangling loosely from her mouth.

"You know someday your gonna give me a heart attack."

"Nope, that's the job for your cancer sticks. At best, I'll be there to laugh," Lupa replied.

"How evil of you," Lincoln chuckled.

Lupa smiled. "Thank you. I try my best to make you suffer a little bit more every day."

Lupa took a noisy bite from her candy cigarette. "Anyway, enough talking about you killing yourself. I have some news I thought you and the little abomination there should hear."

She scratched her neck. "I-uh won by the competition_."

"Congratulations!" Lincoln boomed, his face splitting into a smile. "Knew it would happen because the piece was that good." he pointed to her. "I hope you take this to heart and try out for things like it. The world needs to know deep in that sick little mind of years are things that'll make the world a more exciting place.

Lincoln understood how insecure Lupa was about her art. It was important for others to support her on this. Although perhaps a little hyperbolic, Lincoln thought it was needed to boost the girl's confidence in it.

Despite the attempts at a gruff exterior, she was just a little girl.

"Well, I don't know about good," Lupa said, averting her eyes to the ground. But anyway, the main prize is some tickets to dairyland. I thought if you wanted to, go with me. I mean, its' typically not my style, but maybe I could just laugh at all the rubes there while you dork out. I mean, if you want. Doesn't matter to me. I can just sell them to buy something way cooler."

Lincoln smiled, reached over, and clasped Lupa on the shoulder. "I'd love to go with you, Lu. And again, I'm glad to hear the judges made the right decision. You did a great job, Lupa."

"It's no big deal. Judges were probably high when they looked at it. I mean, it's pretty awful. But I'd figured you should know. since I made you and Lulu stand around for the shit." Lupa said while scratching the back of her neck.

Lincoln smiled at Lupa. "Hey, now don't try to downplay this. It was awesome, and the judges would've been idiots to give anything less than first place. I'm proud of you."

"Your drawings are bitching, Lu," Lemy put in.

"Good Lu, good lu," Lulu chanted, giggling while jumping up and down from Lincoln's lap.

Lupa turned her eyes away from them, and he saw a slight grin. "Well, all of you have terrible tastes. But you know, thanks anyway."

She scooted closer to Lincoln. "I'll play the winner," she declared.

"I'll beat the old man in a little while," Lemy said with a smirk.

Lincoln scoffed. "See, that arrogance is why I'll enjoy crushing you."

* * *

Around Five Lily showed up wearing a smooch t-shirt, much like the one Lincoln chose to wear. He was in his room showing Lulu some card tricks which delighted her to no end. Rather strange seeing the mutant's face light up with amazement over something so simple when she has superpowers. Strange but nice

"Mama Lil," Lulu giggled upon seeing the young woman.

Lily walked to the baby and poked her tummy slightly, eliciting a laugh.

"Showing the kid a bit of magic?" Lily asked. "I think its' rubbing off on her," Lily said, slowly reaching over Lulu. When her hand retreated, she held a piece of chocolate in her hand. Lulu gaped at her, her mind trying desperately to rationalize what had happened.

"Lulu magic?" she asked hesitantly in total awe.

Lincoln and Lily smiled at her.

"I mean, it looks like it to me," Lincoln said.

Lulu smiled and started bouncing in excitement again.

"Lulu magic!" the mutant declared happily.

The adults laughed.

Lily unwrapped the chocolate bar for the mutant who ate it, her face pure contentment.

"Okay, now we're going to be heading off. Give me a little kiss," Lily said, lifting the girl up. The mutant happily complied and kissed her youngest aunt on the cheek. Lily did, likewise. Lily then turned to Lincoln. "Give him a little kiss too."

Lincoln frowned. "Hey, I'm_." before Lincoln could respond, Lily shoved the baby into his face, who promptly kissed his head. "Love, dada!"

"Not your dad, but you're alright too," Lincoln remarked.

Lily put the small mutant down, and they made they're way out.

Luan was watching comedy central in the living room.

"Now, where do you kids think you're sneaking off onto a school night?" she asked in a stern tone.

Lily was quick to respond. "We're not kids; its' Saturday, and your not our mother so you cant tell us what to do-thank god for the last part."

Luan tapped her chin."You make a compelling, well thought out case. Okay, you have my permission to go, but remember to drink lots of booze, it'll make the music sound so much better."

"I'm pregnant, and at least one of us needs to be sober to drive home," Lily fired back.

Luan smiled. "See, that was my final test. Now you can go. But remember to keep the big man here out of trouble.

* * *

It took about an forty-five minutes to drive to the city where the concert was being held.

Lincoln would've traveled a lot longer though for it.

The concert's atmosphere was electric; the crowd was loud and rowdy, eager for Smooch to perform.

When they came onto the stage, there was a deafening roar, Lincoln's voice joining the fray.

Pucker Uppenheimer, fat, grey old, but at that moment, Lincoln found him to be beautiful.

"This song is for all those who ever felt lost, alone, and like the world was against you," Uppenheimer said, lifting a fist.

They played "Everybody has a reason to live," it was one of Lincoln's favorite songs.

Lincoln remembered this was the first song he heard at the last Smooch concert he went to. He was eighteen-years-old, he had his whole life ahead of him, and he'd been granted the luxury of being a man a couple of weeks earlier.

He almost didn't make that one, though. He was drafted in the Iran war, which had to become wildly unpopular, necessitating re-authorizing draft. It also had featured a lot of dead boys.

Lincoln was lucky enough to be drafted in a war that he could not care less for, and possibly die in. He'd have to report for duty before he had a chance to see the concert.

Hell, the first thought he had regarding reading the letter was that he'd miss the concert. He knew it was bizarre, to worry about that, given the circumstance, but he did—the next thought he had was realizing this may be a death sentence causing him to go into utter panic. Lincoln did not fancy himself a patriotic sort. Or that into politics in general. He knew there were many opinions on the matter about the war, but he tended to try to stay out of it. He, however, knew for sure he didn't want to die. Neither did his sisters. His younger ones called his older ones. His Luna and Luan drove all the way home from college. His Lori, Leni, and Luna set up a video-chat where they'd chip in as well.

The siblings spent hours going over plans to get out of this. Eventually, they landed on trying to pass Lincoln off as a mentally ill, political extremist. They gushed him with some makeup on his face to looked tattered. His Lynn offered to give him a real blackeye to make it more passing. When he refused, she just gave him one anyway. He slept in Lana's clothes to get a potent stink, proving to the people he was dealing with how deranged he was. Luan also coached him in acting as someone suitably unqualified to be in the military in any capacity. And His Lily bless her sweetheart, painted on a fake tattoo of an American flag burning on his face.

On the day he reported in, he hugged all the sisters he could. When he got home, he hugged them even harder, crying with relief that their plan had worked.

They may have just saved his life.

As he listened to the music, he found himself crying again. And what has he done with his life since then? Failure after failure, mediocrity at his best of times. He was so angry. He was so sad.

He turned his gaze towards his drink and chugged all of it. Then he got another and another throughout the concert. He didn't care about the drinks' ludicrous price; he just wanted the music to sound right.

Eventually, Lily expressed worry, but he just ignored her. He just drank until he could believe the words of the music.

He couldn't though.

* * *

"Encore!" Lincoln bellowed. He threw a cup at the stage. He was far from the only drunk in the crowd, but he was the one Lily had to concern herself with.

"Easy, there, Lincoln, let's get you home, okay? Lily prodded, taking the arm of lincoln and leading him out of the stadium.

On there way out, Lincoln bumped into a man the size of a large bear, on steriods through his drunken stumblings.

"Dick," the man muttered

Lincoln turned back to the man enraged. "Fuck you say faggot? C'mere and say it to my face,"

The man who towered over Lincoln rolled his eyes. "I called you a dick."

Lincoln gestured the man over with a hand. "I said, say it to my face bitch!"

The man clenched his fists.

"I'm pregnant!" Lily rushed in before Lincoln got himself a beating. "So please don't hurt him," she put her hand over her stomach, which had five months pregnancy became noticeable.. "For us."

The big man frowned. "You could do better," he said snidely before walking away.

"Thatsh right runs fuckin fagot," Lincoln screamed.

Thankfully the man didn't fall for the provocation.

Lily tugged on Lincoln's shirt. "Come on let's get you home."

Lincoln laughed derisively; he stumbled as Lily led him out of the arena.

Lily strapped Lincoln in Vanzilla

"That was fun," Lincoln giggled as the two began their trek home.

"It was," Lily said with a smile.

"Music does sound better with booze," Lincoln lamented. "Shame you're pregnant. Maybe we could stop by a clinic and get rid of it." Lincoln hiccuped. "Still know it'll make your life a lot better. Just be done with the nonsense, brat'll just tire you down with all its shits and eating and what the fuck else. Most of my sistas are better off 'an yours cause they waited."

Lily shook her head and placed a hand on her stomach. "I love my baby," she said firmly. "She's my dream."

Lincoln just laughed. "That's so stupid. Fucking knocked up and ditched. That's your dream?"

He's drunk, Lily. He doesn't know what he's saying.

"Fuuck man, yer sadder 'an me. Least, I had a good dream. Probably won't come true, but its better. I mean, at your age, I wanted to be the next Bill Buck. Y'just want to be pregnant with some deadbeat's bastard. That's sad."

"He's not a deadbeat," Lily interjected automatically. "He's a wonderful soul. He's nice, kind,smart and loves kids. He's going to be a great father."

"And Imma gonna be Ace Savvy," Lincoln giggled.

"Hey, you figure it out that he ain't coming back yet?" Lincoln asked.

Lily chose not to respond to the question. Just keep driving Lily to focus on the road.

"Y' still think hesh comin back, doncha?" Lincoln giggled.

"Never had a moment's, doubt," Lily asserted though she knew instantly it was the wrong move,

"Now that's funny. Funnier than Luan ever was. "

Lily grimaced. "It's not funny; it's just true," Lily said.

Lily arguing with a bitter drunk won't make you feel good. Just stop.

Lily tried to follow the sage advice. Just don't listen to him.

"He ditched ya, dumbass. Yer little bastard probably will never know its' dad."

"He'll love her," Lily fired back. "And he loves me."

Lily, why are you still arguing?

Just focus on the road. On anything else, but Lincoln's hateful words.

"Even those pedo bitches fucked as they are ain't even that blind. Kid, he ain't comin for ya. Y'got left. If he doesn't wanna be sheen with you, it means he doesn't love you. He got the five seconds he needed from ya. He's not gonna stick around for eighteen years just ta raise your bastard. "

Lily knew he was drunk. So she tried to ignore his hurtful words, at least the last part. She knew her a lot of her siblings had their doubts.

About why hadn't the father of Lily's child, the one other man Lily was in love with, hadn't revealed himself.

They feared she'd been abandoned.

She didn't though. She knew his heart. Hewas just a little confused, scared about how everyone would react, and Lily understood that even though it hurt a little right now.

Once the family found out things may be a little awkward, but in the end, after they'd see the love, her family would see it as beautiful. Given their lives, she knew they'd accept it. Maybe they'd even join in. She had no problems with sharing someone she loved, especially with the people she loved the most.

Love should be free.

All that mattered, in the end, was love.

"You're drunk, Lincoln," Lily responded carefully.

"Aint mean I'wrong on this.." he laughed bitterly. "y' got knocked up and left. Yer a loser. I come from a family of winnerhs, so I know to spot a loser. Hey, I'm not judging. Imma loser too." Lincoln moaned.

He started crying.

"I'm gonna die in this fucked up world, and probably no one back home will miss me. Not my sistas, not even probably didn't even tell anyone I was missing. Evil bitch probably just figured one white-haired lab rat is good enough as another. Fuck, you should'da left that faggot pound me. Not like my life means anything." Lily knew Lincoln was just drunkenly muttering, but its always been her instinct to make someone feel better about themselves, especially someone she did like. She had grown fond of Lincoln. He could be a little rough around the edges, but he wasn't a bad guy.

"I have faith that my sister will bring you home, Lincoln. You're a pretty cool dude in my book; you're not perfect, no one is, but I think you have a wonderful soul that_."

Lily heard snores. "could at least, let me finish." when Lily pulled up to the house, she was faced with getting the guy into the house.

She went to get Liena. The girl had a strong back.

She saw Lemy in the kitchen, drinking some Gatorade. She gave him her best smile.

Lemy just glowered at her.

That hurt.

Lily continued on her way to get Liena.

The big girl shared a room with her little brother.

Lily tapped on her second oldest niece. Lily gave her best smile when Liena woke up.

She went outside and brought in Lincoln with little difficulty.

"Is Lincoln okay?" Lemy asked still in the kitchen.

"He's just a little tired out. Don't worry," Lily reaponded, as cheerily she could given her actual feelings at the moment.

"Sorry for waking you, and thanks for helping me." Lily said as Liena set Lincoln down in his bed,

Liena just waved a dismissive hand, smiled back at her aunt, and went to bed.

Lily called Lyft to pick her up and take her to her apartment.

The driver was amiable, so she left a slightly bigger tip than she normally would.

When she got into her bed she planted a hand on her stomach

"You're okay, I love you, and your daddy loves you," she cried to her unborn daughter.

* * *

Lincoln woke up with a massive headache.

He couldn't remember anything from last night.

Lincoln chose to believe that just meant he had an outstanding time.

Especially as he puked his guts out in the toilet.

He'd discard his smooch shirt and pants grabbed some pajamas had a warm shower before heading back to bed, where he planned to get more sleep.

"Dada!" a familiar voice shrieked, eliciting a groan of pain from the man.

"I ain't your fucking dad, so can you be a little fucking quiet about that shit for once," Lincoln screamed, annoyed,mhis own voice exaggerating his headache.

Lulu stared at him, confused and looking on the cusp of tears, her bottom lip quivering.

Great job, Linc. Real winner, you are for making a baby cry.

He reached over and brought Lulu to his chest. He began petting her. "It's okay; you're okay; you did nothing wrong. I'm just a little cranky. I just need some quiet. Just for a little while. You understand?"

Lulu nodded. She snuggled against his chest and purred.

He grabbed his phone and texted Lemy to tell the others he'd be indisposed today.

Unless it was an emergency, try to give him space.

He let Lulu rest on atop of him as he faded off to sleep.

She felt nice.


	15. Playing Daddy

"I'm going to raise you five chocolate cigarettes," Lupa said, pushing the candy forward.

Lincoln chuckled. "I think you're bluffing," he turned to Lulu, who was holding onto his head.

"Dada, right!" Lulu said confidently. She pointed a small pudgy finger at Lupa. "Lu buff!"

He was actually having a fun time playing poker. Mostly because he was winning in contrast to his usual attempts at it, back home.

He revealed his cards, Lupa angrily slapped her on the dining table.

"Well, it looks like Lulu, and I are now that much richer in terms of candy," Lincoln said while passing candy to Lulu, who gleefully munched on it.

Lemy and Lacy came downstairs. "Ready to go, Linc?" Lemy asked.

Lincoln looked at his phone and realized he had realized the time had slipped by. Today had parent-teacher conferences for Lemy, Lacy's, and Lupa's middle school.

Parent-teacher nights were somethings Lincoln's counterpart always went to, so it was something he'd have to go to.

Lincoln took Lulu from his head and placed her amidst all the candy cigarettes Lincoln had won. "Enjoy your prize, little Lu," he said, poking her little belly. "Love Dada," Lulu told before gobbling her treats.

Lincoln just chuckled and patted her on the head.

* * *

Lincoln had to pick up Lucy, Luna, and Lynn, of course.

He smoked a cigarette to calm his nerves before having to get them.

"Sup dudes," Luna chirped, eliciting a pleasant greeting from the kids.

And a grunt in acknowledgment from Lincoln. She gave him a condescending smile.

Next was getting Lucy. Lincoln brought himself to actually speak when she got in. She wasn't the worst of her sisters. Sometimes she asked him questions that Lincoln felt useful in answering. She didn't really judge him, which was nice. She had no place to, but in comparison to some of her sisters, she was alright.

Finally, he went to get the worst sister, Lynn.

"You gonna resist your urge to beat children?"Lynn asked snidely upon getting in Vanzilla.

Fuck this bitch. He made a mistake months ago because he feared for his life, and he was damned confident Lynn would do worse if she was in his position. Lacy forgave him the next day, and never brought it up again. She was apparently far more mature than her mother.

"Sure. Hopefully, you'll resist the urge to try fucking some of them." Lincoln said with a sweet smile, "Least without birth control this time. Oh um, you see birth control is this thing meant to keep you from getting knocked up.

Lynn scowled at him. He just flipped her off.

He may get his ass beat. Scratch that he probably would.

Lynn had always been insanely strong for a woman of her size. Strong in comparison to women, strong in comparison to men.

When he was growing up back home, he was often his sister Lynn's wrestling dummy. Though when he and she wrestled, it was usually just roughhousing, or she was trying to toughen Lincoln up, like an older brother perhaps.

He never once sincerely believed his Lynn hated him, though, or wanted to hurt him.

Lincoln looking into this universe's Lynn, he knew the only thing that'd keep her from seriously hurting him was that he had to pretend to be her brother.

But he was sick of the bitch and her high-rung attitude.

"Hopefully, we can all get through this peacefully and remember children are present," Lucy said tersely, legitimate anger seeping in her voice. She'd typically empathic towards Lincoln or neutral. Having her lambast indicated he really did step over a line. "I am not here to see you two fail to act like adults, but for my son and daughters."

Lincoln looked towards the kids. They looked scared. Lacy had covered her ears and closed her eyes Lemy tried focusing on his phone though he looked troubled as well. Lupa was smiling. "Ah come on mom, I wanted to see them tear each other apart," she said jokingly. Though Lincoln saw actual pain in her eyes as well.

Good job, Linc.

Lucy was right, you could have bitten your tongue, refused to take the bait.

Lynn wasn't worth it.

"I-I don't want to make this harder than it needs to be," Lincoln said, offering an olive branch to Lynn.

Her eyes flickered to Lacy, who was still clutching her ears. "Let's just get through this," Lynn grunted.

Lupa whispered something to Lacy he couldn't make out. The girl's hands dropped from her ears, and she began smiling again.

When they arrived at the school first up was meeting Lupa's teachers.

The first hurdle though the night came from Lupa's English teacher praising Lincoln's counterpart for being such an attentive uncle.

Hearing his counterpart getting praise was terrible when his crazy sisters did it.

Hearing it from strangers was even more aggravating. He wasn't mad at the person making the comments. He was mad that had been lied to and thus tricked into praising a monster.

Hearing about the kids doing fine in their studies was nice, however.

"She's one of my best students," was practically the most repeated message Lincoln had heard throughout the night regarding Lupa.

Excellent grades, always attentive during class, always lightening the room with her sardonic humor, and trying to help others where she could.

"Ha Lupa's a big nerd," Lincoln teased. Luna, lacy, and Lemy snickered.

"Lupa has always been an exceptinal girl," Lucy said in what'd sound like a monotone. Still, having grown up with a Lucy, Lincoln was able to detect a small hint of pride in her voice.

Lupa rolled her eyes. "I just get good grades, so no one gets on my freckled ass about it. If I had the opportunity, I'd burn this whole place to the ground and piss on its ashes," Lupa said in Lucy's monotone.

He put his arm around Lupa. She didn't move away from him.

"Nah, I'm starting to think you're just a sweet little girl with a bright future ahead of her," Lincoln said.

Lupa gave an exaggerated gasp. "That's the cruelest thing you have said to me," She clapped her hands. "Well done."

Lincoln laughed and gently ruffled the girl's hair before letting her go.

Next was Lacy's special ed teacher and her English and Math teacher and P.E.

In her Special ed class, she was doing fine, though she's reluctant to take more normal courses.

Lacy looked legitimately scared at the mention of the prospect.

The next meeting was with her P.E. teacher Margo Roberts, the mother of Lacy's little girlfriend.

She also seemed to still be Lynn's friend based on how they talked to each other throughout the meeting.

Lincoln didn't really know his own universe's Margo. She got pregnant and moved away.

Lincoln couldn't recall where. Lincoln did remember His Lynn was furious about the loss of her friend for a while.

They kind of meandered a bit about Lacy's accomplishments in various sports at the school, but Lincoln thought that was okay.

Lacy was smiling and bubbly at the praise bestowed on her.

In her other classes, she was struggling a lot more, though.

Her English and pre-algebra teachers didn't fault her as having not put a lot of effort into succeeding. Lynn reassured Lacy, she was okay when Lacy began to mutter she was stupid under breath, and pound her knee with a fist during the meeting with the pre-algebra teacher discussing the girl's difficulty in getting more than a D in the class.

He put a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, kid," he whispered, "I'm proud of you for trying your best," Lincoln said honestly.

Lacy smiled at him in gratitude. Lynn nodded at him.

He nodded back.

Finally, it was Lemy's turn.

Lynn insisted on meeting with his P.E. teacher as well.

She nudged this idea of Lemy getting into sports, always making inferences to the boy's growing size. The boy was taller than Lincoln was at that age, and Lincoln had grown to be about 6'2.

But Lemy, like Lincoln, had no interest in sports. Least ones not involving robots.

For most of his classes, his teachers spoke positively about him.

The worst thing still tended to be when teachers complimented his counterpart.

The final teacher of the night came as a bit of a surprise. It was Chandler Mcchan. Someone Lincoln knew.

Chandler in Lincoln's universe had died in a drunk driving accident in highschool.

The school had this whole big thing about it which Lincoln mostly dozed off furing it. He wasn't happy to see the guy die, but he wasn't torn up about. The guy was kinda of an asshole the few times Lincoln interacted with him.

" Mr. Loud it's a pleasure to see you again," Chandler said. "It always nice to see you taking such an active role in your nieces and nephews' lives."

Nice. More gushing about a pedophile version of Lincoln. He sure is wonderful raising his own children. A lot of whom he got after molesting his own blood without the forethought of wearing a goddamn condom.

Like MLK, Gandi, Susan B. Anthony, fuck them compared to this universe's Lincoln, they might as well be Hitler with an evil mustache.

If you were going by his sisters' insanity, of course.

He shouldn't get pats on the back for doing the very least he could do.

Lincoln never molested someone. He didn't need a parade for practicing common sense and common decency.

So it was insufferable for Lincoln to hear a man who practiced neither, be praised for both.

"Well, I couldn't help it. With their mothers being fucked in the heads, you know? It'd be irresponsible to not do anything," Lincoln said reflexively.

Chandler and Luna's eyes widened.

Linc, you went a little too far here. Just try to maintain the peace.

He gave a laugh. "Alright, I'll admit that joke was a bit crass." he turned to Lemy. "Sorry for that, kid. Didn't mean offense."

"It's alright, dude," Luna piped with her condescending smile of hers.

Luna surely loves it when you lose your cool Linc. That way, she could get on her high horse and ride it like she did her brother.

Fuck Luna, the sanctimonious drunk pedo bitch.

He was doing her and her family a favor here, but speaking the truth regarding them being failures would only exacerbate things.

"W-well anyway, there's been a decline in Lemy's English grade these last few months," Chandler began.

"His grade tended to stay at a solid B, but lately it's been slipping.

Mostly staying in C throughout the year, throughout the years, he dipped towards a C-. It's a C right now, but I feel for Lemy it's well below what he could accomplish. "

Lincoln frowned. "What's the problem exactly?"Lincoln asked. "Like what is he not doing, right?"

"I just forget to turn in somethings," Lemy muttered dismissively.

Chandler shook his head. "It's more than that. Even the stuff he does turn in is barely passable."

Lincoln didn't like what he was hearing.

"Well, he'll shape up. Right, Lem?" Luna asked relaxed.

"Sure," Lemy said. From his tone, sure, in this case, seemed to mean if you need to believe that, sure.

But Luna just smiled.

"What are his next assignments," Lincoln asked he got out his phone to make a note of it.

Chandler told him. A poetry assignment was due in a couple days.

"Have you finished it, Lemy?" Lincoln asked.

Lemy scratched the back of his neck. "I-uh planned to finish it tonight?" he more asked than stated.

Lincoln had no doubts, Lemy would have never thought of even starting it.

After about a little more talking, the Louds got up to leave. Lincoln shook Chandler's hand and reassured him Lemy would get better.

After taking the mothers back to their apartments, Lincoln went back to the house.

* * *

The next day after getting home from work, Lemy invited Lincoln to play 'Deadly Fighting Z.'

"So Lemy's, hows the homework coming along?"

Lemy shrugged as his fiery Samurai dealt an uppercut to Lincoln green human-formed dragon.

"I got most of it done," Lemy said.

Welp that confirmed Lincoln's suspicions.

"I'm guessing the poetry assignment isn't done?" Lincoln said while his fighter shattered Lemy's character's left kneecap.

"Um well, no," Lemy said. "I planned to finish it tonight."

"Kid, that's what you said last night."

Lemy scratched the back of his neck. "Well, I was tired last night," Lemy said. "Besides, it's not like its' a big deal. It's just English. I'm doing great in my other classes."

"Well, why can't you try to be great at English. I know you can do it. You know I actually have a Bachelor's degree in English if you want help,"

Lincoln had gotten it while pursuing his masters in Art from Eastern Michigan University.

He thought it'd give him an edge in crafting a well-thought-out story.

For his labor, he's gotten tens of thousands of dollars more in debt.

But perhaps it could have used here with Lemy.

As they say, 'if you can't do something that cost you a fuckload of money, teach.'

"The class isn't important," Lemy said. "Like this poetry thing. I'm not ever going to write a poem to get by in real life, so what's the big deal if I don't finish one assighnment?

Lemy paused the game.

"Learning about numbers makes so much more sense to me than writing a poem. Science does too. There's a real point to it, you know," Lemy explained. Defensively in away.

"I can use them. Like I need to know them so I can build a robot to like to crush another robot. That has a point, that's really cool. I can do a lot of cool stuff with science and math. I don't need to learn how to write a poem or talk about some dumb book's hidden meaning. That's just lame and boring and pointless."

Lincoln scratched his neck. "Well, that's one way to look at it. In my opinion, it's useful in learning how to communicate with other people."

"I communicate by talking like a normal person. Not talking in Haikus." Lemy said dryly

"Like in a formal thing. Like drawing up an argument for how you should get something like a job or something. Maybe you'd like to write a book."

Lemy rolled his eyes.

"Listen I'm not trying boss you around here, I like to think we're pals, so just take this as some friendly advice. Maybe spend a little more time studying English. I know you're a smart kid, so I think you just put a little more effort in you'd get an A."

Lemy scrunched his face. "I'm trying my best. I just have more important things to do. You know I'm the president of my school's stem club, which takes a lot of work; I'm also in a ton of robotic competitions with my friends. I even started babysitting for some extra cash." he offered as excuses. "Like I have a lot on my plate."

That he put there. The kid had trouble with time management. It's normal for a thirteen-year-old boy to have, and these sorts of excuses are not original. He'd rather hang out with his friends and do stuff he finds fun than doing schoolwork he finds annoying. Totally understandable. But the real world doesn't really work like that. Lincoln had very little interest in math, but he still had to do it.

"Lemy, I think if you were trying, you're best you'd be making a better grade than a C-. Come on, you're a smart kid, I know you can do better than that. You were doing better than that."

"C," Lemy added tersely. "That's still average."

"It's worse than what you're capable of. I mean, I don't expect straight As all the time, man. I'd just like to give it your all."

"Lincoln, you sound like Lyra right now, and honestly, dude, it's really lame," Lemy said.

Lincoln rubbed his temples in aggravation. He took some sips from his beer.

Why even start this issue up?

This argument seemed to be going nowhere. Linc, you're not the kid's daddy or whatever. You can't force Lemy to try to get better grades.

Besides, Lyra would get on Lemy for his classes anyway.

Lincoln finished the can and let out a sigh in resignation. He pounded the boy's shoulder lightly. "Lem, let's just drop this thing. Sorry for bringing it up. I'm not your dad, so its' not even my business. I don't even know why I brought it up."

Lemy looked slightly disappointed. "I mean, I guess I can put a bit more into studying for English."

"Thanks, kid," Lincoln said. "Now, let's get back to me, kicking your butt in video-games."

Lemy smiled and pounded Lincoln's shoulder and started the game again.

And just like that they were just pals hanging out again.

But he didn't feel entirely comfortable doing nothing.

There had to be some ways to help, without making himself into something he's not

He then got an idea. He may not be able to command Lemy to do better. But maybe he could making him more inclined to choose to do better.

Just by being a pal.

* * *

The next day Lincoln went to the store and got Lemy a gift.

The boy was tinkering on the Lawn Mower when he got back to the house.

"Hey, Lem got you something," he said, handing the boy a vintage leather journal. It had two dragons doing battle on it. Pretty badass in Lincoln's opinion.

"When I was your age, my dad got me one like it. It was pretty handy when I sometimes needed someone to talk to. I got sad sometimes. I got mad a lot more, and I often didn't feel comfortable talking to anyone about certain things. I mean, you could always come to me, especially if you're in trouble or something. But I get wanting to keep things private to yourself," Lincoln tried to explain. He hoped what he was saying was making sense to Lemy.

Lincoln tapped on the journal. "This is good if you just have a need to say something without having to worry about someone getting on your ass about whether you're wrong or right, you know? You can just say what you want to say, and that'd be it." Lincoln explained. He also hoped Lemy acquiring a habit for writing in his free time, could translate in the boy being more engaged in English. He wasn't playing dad or whatever, this was just helping out a friend basically. Bring nice.

Lemy took the journal. For a moment, he didn't say anything.

He fucking hates it, Lincoln. It was a waste of money. Luckily you kept the receipt so you can_.

"Yeah, I know," Lemy said softly. "Thank you, Lincoln."

Lemy then hugged him.

Lincoln hugged the boy back.

It felt nice.

* * *

**A/N Nuuo I'm getting a patriotic vibe from you and I think you love your country. So I can understand you disliking someone try dodging a draft.**

**But Drafts have little wiggle room in choice.**

**You'll most likely put where you are most needed.**

**Every position that'd incur little risk of seeing combat would find no shortage of volunteers.**


	16. A Sinful Pride

Human beings were not meant to stay locked in one singular space for that long.

Which is why every morning, Lincoln did a couple miles running. Before the transportation, he found most of the enjoyment that came from such activity was watching the look of accomplishment on Lynn and Lacy's faces while they ran together.

Now he primarily liked it because it allowed him to forget about his situation for just a little bit.

He tried to find himself a job to filled that desire to forget. And his desire to feel useful. It felt wrong to not work days on end.

Like he didn't have a purpose.

He went to the Burping Burger to see if they were hiring. He didn't think he'd land his old job but hoped getting one would bring back some normality to his life.

The fast-food place was hiring, but he didn't get a job.

It was found that he-or, more precisely, his counterpart-was too qualified for any positions they'd have open due to his college degrees.

For years, Lincoln had managed the Burphin Burger seeing his job taken by some boy who didn't look old enough to have a mustache and told he couldn't have a job was kinda like a little stab in the heart.

Rationally he could understand the decision.

An overqualified worker could have an ego that makes them think they know what they're doing more than anyone else. There was a risk of them bailing if something better came along or not putting all their effort in because they think something better may come along.

He got that. These were factors he'd take into consideration if he was in their position.

He still felt what he felt, though.

Eventually, he came back around to the house, sweating, huffing. He didn't lie down immediately. He slowed to walk before doing his post-run stretches.

He took off the sweat-soaked shirt and put on something a little fresher.

For the next couple of hours or so, he played on his counterpart's PC, the new Ace Savvy game that had proved rather enjoyable.

He just felt just a sliver of annoyance when the doorbell rang, interrupting him only when he was bout to hit his stride in the game.

Clyde wasn't in the house; he'd spent more and more of the day at his girlfriend's home as of late sometimes he didn't come home days on end. He still paid the rent, though.

Lisa was in the basement, trying to get him home.

So Lincoln reluctantly paused his game and made his way to the front door.

When he looked through the peephole, his eyes widened.

"Lynn?" Lincoln asked when he opened the door.

Lynn smiled at him; she raised a fist brought it to his face.

Lincoln jerked back before it connected.

"Ha! Two for flinching," Lynn said before pounding his arm.

"I-its good to see you," Lincoln parsed out, rubbing the arm that was struck. His eyes roamed her body, dissecting what differences he could tell from his own Lynn.

This universe's Lynn had her head cut short, then the hairdo Lincoln saw his Lynn wear the last time he saw her. And her stomach seemed chiseled out of the rock. His Lynn had a six-pack, but this universe's Lynn had appeared to have an 8-pack. Lincoln figured the training regime this Lynn would inflict on herself would be a lot harder given she was the UFC's featherweight champion.

Her abs were an enchanting sight, and he felt tempted to caress it.

It'd been a while since he got any meaningful release, and he felt it.

"What're you doing here?" Lincoln asked what he understood. This Lynn lived in LA.

Lynn smirked. "My family and I are taking a little cross country trip before my next match," Lynn gestured to the massive RV behind her. It looked like it cost more than Lincoln's house. "Royal woods was on our route, so I figure we'd stop by and check out my old place. Give Nancy a feel for what her mama grew up in."

Lincoln assumed that was Lynn's daughter.

"Well, um, I guess I get_."

"Sup Linc!" a man's voice boomed from behind Lynn.

There was a giant man with a big blonde bushy beard and mane, his arms defined by rippling muscle, much like Lynn's walking towards the house. A toddler was clutching his massive hand. She had blonde hair like the man she was strapped to. She was the same age, Lulu would be turning in a little while. The thought of Lulu made Lincoln's heart wince.

"It's great to see you again, brother," the giant said before bringing Lincoln into a firm hug.

"Likewise," Lincoln grunted.

"So how have you been doing, brother?" the giant asked, releasing Lincoln and giving a dumb handsome smile.

Lincoln had been taken from his own universe in place in a house where a version of his sister and old childhood acquaintance thought he was some child rapist.

He was slightly tempted to just say that just to wipe off that smile.

"I'm doing all right," Lincoln said instead.

The giant grinned and looked down at his daughter. "Say hi to your uncle, Nancy."

"No!" the toddler said resolutely.

The giant chuckled. "Sorry, she's in her no phase. Like watch this; do you want to have a good time?"

"No!"

"A bad time?"

"No!"

"Do you want ice-cream?"

"No."

"A billion dollars?"

"No!"

"Do you want me to stay with you?"

Nancy scrunched up her face deep in thought. "Dada, no go." the toddler settled, satisfied she included no in response.

The giant and Lynn laughed. "Always a daddy's girl." the giant thundered.

Lincoln found the guy annoying. He couldn't place it, but there was something off about him. But he laughed along anyway.

Lincoln hadn't felt compelled to learn more about the families of his counterpart's sisters. That simply didn't seem very interesting to him.

"I'm guessing the runt's in the basement, right?"

Without a license, Lynn strode into the house like she'd owned the place, though, in a way, her claim probably was better than Lincoln's.

The two men an walked in the house, the giant kept chatting away in Lincoln's ear,

"Hey, runt, up to trouble?" Lynn asked upon entering the basement.

Lisa quirked an eyebrow at seeing her sister.

"Lynn?" Lisa inquired, surprised.

Lynn pounced on Lisa and put her in a headlock. "Sup nerd. Staying out of trouble?"

"I'm endeavoring to not be," Lisa responded. "I estimate I am mostly succeeding."

Yeah, excluding the fact she dragged her brother to another universe and Lincoln here, she was mostly succeeding.

Linc, that's harsh. She made a mistake, and she's been working non-stop for months to correct it.

Try to be a little bit more empathic.

"It's nice to hear that, man," Lynn said, letting her sister go.

The giant came thumping over to the women and hugged Lisa.

"It's great to see you." Ronald thundered, walking to the small women.

Lisa actually smiled at the big man. "Hello, Ronald."

The small scientist's eyes drifted to her niece. "Hello, Nancy." Lisa cooed, breaking her normally flat-tone.

Lynn explained why she and her family were here to Lisa.

"I see. I would offer to help give your spouse and daughter an adequate tour of our hometown, but sadly I cannot, " Lisa said, pointing to her ankle monitor.

Lincoln and the family talked for a little bit. Lisa answered some of the questions thrown his way about things or people his counterpart would know, but Lincoln himself would not.

Eventually, Lynn decided to give a proper tour of the old house while Lisa went back to work.

"Take a moment to appreciate this room. It was the place someone great slept in for eighteen-years," Lynn said dramatically.

Ronald smiled widely. "Yeah, Lucy is pretty cool."

Lynn pounded her husband's arms playfully.

"Just for that, I'm gonna need a minute away from you to cool down. So just go rumbling around a little while I talk to my little bro here, okay."

Ronald looked down at Nancy. "Sound like a bad idea?"

"No!" the girl said resolutely. He picked her up and made his way out.

"Lisa's a lot thinner than I remember her," Lynn noted once her husband left. "Like ten pounds thinner. She's always been pretty underweight, even for her height. Has she been eating? You know how she forgets to do stuff like that."

He did. Lincoln felt guilty, looking at Lisa's withered state.

Lincoln scratched the back of his neck. "I mean lately, life has been a little challenging, I've tried to keep her from falling off the deepened completely." If she did, odds are his life would be over as well. She was one of the only ways he could get home. The other being his Lisa finding a way to bring him back. Plus, she'd look so much like a woman Lincoln loved. How could he not want to help her? Or not feel pain seeing her hurt?

Lynn nodded. "I get that. I mean, I love the runt, but she can take things too far. Honestly, after you know the incident, I thought she'd chill out a little bit more. I thought maybe her time here with you would remind her of the time she wasn't so obsessed. "

The incident being her kidnapping people, one of whom was a child. The rationalizations she's given to the public for it was her testing out a new drug she'd invented to enhance her own mental capabilities. It instead drove her a bit mad for a time.

Though many people did not believe her given her track record of ethics violations.

"I'm trying my best," Lincoln said.

Lynn smiled at him. He was tempted to kiss her. "I know you are."

At the acknowledgement Lincoln began tearing up a little. He hugged Lynn. Tightly.

"I-ts been hard," Lincoln croaked. For just minute he pretended this beautiful woman was the woman was actually his sister, someone who actually loved him.

He almost believed that.

Until Ronald came back in carrying Nancy.

* * *

Lincoln probably should have given some bullshit excuse for why he couldn't escort Lynn around town with her family.

He had good reasons to lie.

This wasn't his Lynn, so he'd basically be deceiving a stranger an entire she was trying to get and reminisce about her hometown's good memories.

He didn't really like her husband, and this would probably irritate Lisa.

Though, he went along as Lynn showed her family the town when she offered for him to tag along.

It was the first time in months that someone actually wanted him around.

They went to the basketball court where Lynn and Ronald played a couple games, with a basketball they tucked away in the RV while Lincoln held on Nancy's hand. The two were almost even despite Lynn's small size, but the woman won the most.

They visited some of her old friends, who instantly took their focus on Ronald and Nancy with a tiny acknowledgment towards Lincoln. He just faded in the background.

During the ride, Lincoln looked up Lynn's husband, so he'd feel slightly less awkward interacting with the guy.

He just seemed too perfect to be real.

Purpleheart, a navy seal captain, started many charities and was the UFC's Heavyweight champion.

He, in addition to all this, had a doctorate in Applied Mathematics. He didn't even know what that was, but he knew it sounded smart.

Like there had to be something wrong with the guy.

There were no stories of him beating a woman he was with. Plenty of athletes do that.

But there was nothing close to that.

Lincoln obviously didn't want the guy to have hurt anyone. He just had a feeling Ronald was trouble. He couldn't place his finger on it, but he knew there had to be something.

No one was that perfect.

Lincoln and the family eventually arrived at the Burping Burger. Lincoln took note of the crummy condition the boy-manager had left the establishment in.

Lincoln tried to be understanding of the kid. Being a manager could be a pretty taxing job; not everyone could do it right.

Lincoln scanned Ronald's face as he rattled onto Lynn as Lincoln and the family as they waited for their food at the Burping Burping.

What was hiding behind that big, stupid, handsome smile? "So Lincoln, I have a theory I've been working on about 'Normal Abe." Ronald started carefully. "Now you don't have to say anything. I'm just going to tell you about it. Is that okay?"

Lincoln smiled. "Sure, go ahead."

Ronald's face brightened. He went onto explain his theory about the story, particularly on how it'd end.

It made perfect sense.

Lincoln wondered how he couldn't see what Ronald was describing.

"Well, that's certainly a theory. I don't think its' the right one, though." Lincoln said. He wouldn't bolster the guy's probably already big ego of himself.

Ronald pouted. "Really? I thought I was onto something. But I really wanna see how it turns out, man. When do you think the next page is coming along?"

"I don't know," Lincoln said tersely.

Ronald pouted again. He turned back to chatting with his wife and daughter until their order was called.

"I hate to say it, and I'm sorry, but Walnut's Burgers beats this one," Ronald said as finished munching on his burger, the Burphin Delux, the best burger on the menu.

Lynn sighed dramatically. "Okay, well, it's been nice being married, I guess. I'll take Nancy, our houses, the cars, and you can have the dog."

Ronald snickered. "We don't have a dog!"

"No doggy," Nancy said, accusingly pointing a pudgynfinger her mother's way while she munched on a small fry.

Lynn got a thoughtful look. "Ah, okay. I can't leave you with nothing. So we'll stay married even though you're obviously insane if you think that slop your hometown considers a burger is superior to anything at Burpin Burger."

Ronald barked out a laugh and pounded the table.

The guy had no filter.

Lincoln's gaze drifted toward's nancy as the toddler continued to munch on her fries.

He wondered absentmindedly if Lily's child would look like her. Blue-eyed, blonde like her mother. Or would he inherit after her father, who Lincoln has never seen.

Lincoln felt a sliver of guilt when thinking of Lily's condition.

Maybe he should've just given Lily a baby. Initially, he figured it was a necessary step to get a vasectomy. Lily had her whole life ahead of her, let her have a child when she built herself a life for herself, be spoiled, be reckless, be free, be a kid, for a little longer. The girl had so much potential.

Lincoln became a father at a young himself, so he knew how a child's birth could be a childhood and a mortal blow to dreams.

Lincoln couldn't do what he wanted to do anymore. He scrounged to find any work he could to support his sisters and children even when he was just thirteen-years-old.

He didn't think it likely Lily would have another guy be her child's father so soon. He thought maybe an anonymous donor could be found if she still wanted children when she was older.

The prospect of her getting pregnant the biblical way with another guy never occurred to him.

In his defense, he had good reason not to think that.

Dating outside the family generally didn't happen. Of course, fucking outside the family was okay for everyone, provided they were safe while doing it, such as wearing condoms, for instance, to avoid the possibility of catching a severe STD or STI. There was no real emotional investment, however. It'd just be like using a dildo or pocket pussy to get off, really.

It was just fun to do now and again.

There wasn't supposed to be anything more profound than that.

Hench most of Lincoln's hookups outside the family being people Lincoln didn't even hang out with.

There was no explicit rule against dating outside of the family, of course. No one owned another.

But why would you?

In his sister's case, what would be the point when you already had loads of beautiful women and handsome, nice guy in love with you?

In his case, he had eleven beautiful women.

It also could only lead to nowhere. Lincoln may have been an optimist, but he wasn't an idiot.

His sisters could never move in together with their partner.

They'd have to give up the prospect of living in the house with Lincoln and the children to avoid difficult questions about the family dynamic that is already a little odd from the outset. They justified most of it with the lukewarm excuse of his sisters not being financially stable enough to care for their kids.

Lincoln couldn't allow a potential partner to move in with him.

He'd have to deny all his other partners lodging, to live with their daughters and sons.

Also, it wouldn't be fair to the partner.

Lincoln was not a cheater.

An open relationship requires all the people in that relationship to know its open.

Lily said she and the guy she shacked up with had an open relationship too hench having no worry about when she made love with Lincoln or their sisters.

She assured them all; the man, in addition to being handsome, smart, and generous, had a similar idea of sex and love that they had.

From Lincoln's view, it was more likely the guy didn't think they were in a relationship.

Personally, Lincoln found the prospect of having another romantic relationship juggle and the ones he's built up to his sisters exhausting.

It's not just constant sex, honeyed words all the time, romantic gestures.

One needed to put in work to maintain such a relationship.

Anyone could fall in love. It takes work to stay in love.

Lily fell in love with a bad guy, obviously in part to get payback against him for not giving her what she wanted immediately.

It was an unfortunate mistake on her part.

The guy Lily shacked up with wasn't like Lincoln. He was a pump and dump, who took advantage of Lily's caring nature, scumbag in Lincoln's mind.

If you got a woman pregnant, take responsibility, don't cry and moan, or run away. Man up and do the right thing.

Though Lincoln wasn't violent, he'd be tempted to strangle the deadbeat for the heartache he had done to his sister, and one of the women he loved

He tried to play it cool, though. He didn't bad mouth the guy; he even played along and joked with Lily with her fantasy.

But Lincoln knew he would be the father of Lily's child when the time came.

Lisa did come upstairs to say goodbye to Lynn and her family. The sun was nearly setting.

The two sisters hugged.

It's been years since Lincoln's own Lynn and Lisa showed such affection.

After hugging her, she went to Lincoln.

"So remember to take care of her, okay?" Lynn said while hugging Lincoln. She gave him a kiss on the cheek. before saying. "Love you, bro."

Ronald came bumbling forward and offered a hand to Lincoln. "It's been fun, brother. Take care of yourself."

Lincoln squeezed Ronald's hand tightly. If the man felt it, he didn't show it on his face.

The family loaded into the RV and went along there way.

Lisa did not say anything to him before she went back inside. Lincoln stood alone.

He took out his phone and downloaded something he hadn't used in a long time.

A hookup app.

* * *

"H-how was I?" Lincoln inquired. This was the first time in a long while since he's had sex with someone outside the family.

"Honestly, pretty great," Monica chuckled. The woman wasn't a beauty like any of his sisters. But she was pretty enough. And while she turned around, Lincoln could pretend he was making love to one of his sisters. He chose to pretend Monica was Lynn due to her being a brunette in her early thirties.

"You were awesome too."

Not really. Monica often seemed to lie there during the actual fucking, barely moving as Lincoln did all the work.

Her cocksucking skills were very mechanical too. From a man who'd sucked his fair share of cocks in his life and had his cock sucked, he found Monica, really basic, there was no real technique, just mindless sucking, and licking.

In the end, it was pretty mediocre.

Still, he tried to make she had a great time. That was one of the best things about sex in Lincoln's opinion. Knowing you are giving another human being some of the best pleasure there is, that you are capable of doing that.

Lincoln smiled, he prepared to cuddle against the woman, but she moved away. She began to get dressed. "You should probably get going right now."

"I have a few more rounds in me," Lincoln said.

"Eh, I don't," Monica said.

Lincoln frowned. But nonetheless began to get dressed as well. "Do you think you'd want to meet again?"

"Yeah, sure you're a pretty great lay man."

Lincoln thought he should feel more satisfaction at that.

He didn't like to brag, but he always took pride in his ability to have great sex, no matter who he was with.

It didn't matter whether that be man, woman, child, he'd give them an orgasm, maybe the best one in their life, because he was just that good.

All his sisters said out of all the men they've been with, he was the best.

Usually, being acknowledged at being fantastic at sex would make me feel a measure of pride.

He didn't, though.

"No, I mean in a more personal way," Lincoln elaborated."Maybe grab a bite to eat. Watch a movie. Go to a party. Doesn't have end with sex, but that would be cool too."

Monica grimaced. "I'm not really looking to date anyone at the moment."

"Oh, I don't mean like dating. I mean, we could like to hang out like friends."

"I really like to keep things casual with the people I hook up with. Really casual."

Lincoln smiled. "Okay, um sure I get that," Lincoln said, trying not to take offense.

It's not like he became best friends with every girl or guy he fucked. He didn't even remember most of them unless they were incredibly good or incredibly bad.

In his universe, he'd probably never think of Monica again after such a mediocre night.

He knew rationally, there was no reason to be irked at Monica.

She met him with the understanding that they'd just have sex and go their separate ways, nothing more, nothing less.

She was far from a great lay, but she did what they'd agreed upon, so he really shouldn't complain.

He walked outside and stood at the house's porch. Monica didn't even say goodnight before shutting the door behind him.

He stood in the dark.

Alone.


End file.
